^  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  *# 


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SERMONS  TO  CHILDREN. 


BY 


REV.  EICHAED  NEWTON,  D.D. 

BECTOR  OF  ST.  PAUL'S  CHURCH,  PHILADELPHIA. 
AUTHOR  OB"  "THE  BEST  THINGS,"  ETC. 


NEW  YORK: 
ROBERT  CARTER  AND  BROTHERS, 

No.  530    BROADWAY. 
1867. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1856,  by 

RICHARD   NEWTON, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  in  and  for  the  Eastern 

District  of  Pennsylvania. 


TO 

OF 

ST.  PAUL'S   CHURCH, 

IN  TESTIMONY  OP 

TFEIR  EARNEST  AND  HEARTY  CO-OPERATION  WITH  HIM  IN  EVERY  GOOD  WORK 

AND    OF   THE   DEGREE   IN  WHICH 

THEIR   CHEERFUL,   AND    HARMONIOUS  AID   HAS   HELPED 

TO   SWEETEN   THE   CARES,   AND   LIGHTEN   THE   BURDENS,   OF  SIXTEEN  YEARS 

OF   MINISTERIAL   LABOUR  AMONG  THEM, 

&|jis  little  mumt 

S>    RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED,   BY   THEIR   AFFECTIONATI 

FRIEND  AND   PASTOR. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGB 

The  Pleasant  Way 7 

The  Spider's  Example 26 

The  Marks  of  a  Ben-oni 44 

The  Crooked  Things  Straightened 71 

The  Great  Man  in  God's  Sight 85 

The  Lily's  Lessons 103 

The  Gift  for  God 121 

The  Wonderful  Lamp 135 

The  Child's  Fortune  told 151 

The  Millennial  Menagerie 170 

The  Best  Merchandise 189 

The  Lessons  Jesus  Teaches 205 


PEBFACB. 


The  following  sermons  have  been  published  at  the  request 
Df  the  teachers  of  the  Sunday-schools  of  St.  Paul's  Church. 
For  the  «ist  two  years,  there  has  been  a  service  for  the  chil- 
dren of  i  is  congregation,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  first  Sun- 
day in  tl  .  month.  On  these  occasions,  the  children  occupy 
the  bod-  of  the  church.  The  usual  service  is  performed, 
and  a  S(  rnion  preached,  designed  especially  for  the  benefit  of 
the  children. 

It  is  called,  "The  Children's  Church."     It  was  begun,  at 

first,  with  much  doubt  and  fear,  as  a  matter  of  experiment. 

The  result  has  proved,  in  the  highest  degree,  satisfactory  and 

encouraging.     The   children    have   manifested    the    liveliest 

interest  in  these  services.     In  reply  to  questions  asked,  they 

always  give  an  intelligent  account  of  the  outlines  of  the  last 

sermon  preached.     The  adult  attendance,  on  these  occasions, 

is  larger  than  at  any  other  afternoon  service  in  this  church. 

While  the  preacher  has  found  the  effort  at  arrangement,  and 

simplification,  necessary  in  order  to  secure  the  attention  of  so 

youthful  an  auditory,  of  great  profit  to  himself,  in  sermon 

izing  for  "children  of  a  larger  growth." 

This  little  volume  contains  a  portion  of  the  sermons  de< 
1*  5 


D  PREFACE. 

livered  on  these  occasions.  They  were  preached  extempora- 
neously, and  written  out,  from  the  original  notes,  during  the 
last  summer  vacation.  It  was  the  opinion  of  the  teachers 
who  heard  them,  that,  as  they  had  interested  the  children  of 
one  school,  they  might  be  useful  to  others.  And,  in  com- 
pliance with  their  earnest  and  united  request,  this  unpretend- 
ing little  offering  is  laid  upon  the  altar  of  the  Sunday-school 
cause,  with  the  fervent  prayer,  that,  that  glorious  Saviour  who 
hath  "  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the 
things  that  are  mighty  j"  and  whose  sacred,  standing,  injunc- 
tion to  his  ministers  is,  "Feed  my  lambs,"  may  graciously 
crown  it  with  his  blessing,  and  make  it  an  humble  instrument 
of  good  to  some  of  his  "  little  ones." 


Silte  ftm  i\t  f  uutttaitt  of  §ift. 


THE  PLEASANT  WAY. 

Prov.  iii.  7 :  Her  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness,  and  all  her 
paths  are  peace. 

The  question  any  one  feels  tempted  to  ask  on 
reading  these  words  is,  Whose  ways  are  here  spoken 
of?  Now,  if  we  look  at  the  thirteenth  verse  of  this 
chapter,  we  find  that  the  person  intended  here  is 
"Wisdom.  In  the  Bible,  when  Wisdom  is  spoken 
of  as  a  person,  it  always  means  true  Religion.  And 
so  we  find  that  it  is  Religion  of  which  Solomon  is 
speaking  when  he  says,  "Her  ways  are  ways  of 
pleasantness,"  &c. 

The  Bible  tells  us  of  two  great  roads,  or  ways  in 
which  the  people  of  this  world  are  walking.  One 
of  these  is  the  world's  way,  or  the  way  of  sin ;  the 
other  is  Wisdom's  way,  or  the  way  of  Religion. 
One  of  these  is  called  the  brood  way,  and  multitudes 
are  always  thronging  it ;  the  other  is  called  the  nar- 
row way,  and  but  few  are  found  to  travel  it.  In  the 
language  of  the  hymn, — 


8         A  SAFE  GUIDE — A  PLEASANT  THING. 

"Broad  is  the  road  that  leads  to  death, 
And  thousands  walk  together  there"; 
But  Wisdom  shows  a  narrow  path, 
With  here  and  there  a  traveller." 

Now,  there  are  six  things  which  help  to  make  a 
road  pleasant  to  those  wTho  travel  it,  and  all  these 
are  found  in  Wisdom's  ways. 

The  first  thing  which  makes  a  way  pleasant  is  to  have 
a  safe  guide. 

If  you  had  to  journey  through  a  country  in  which 
there  were  no  roads  laid  out,  it  would  be  very  un- 
pleasant; because  you  would  never  be  able  to  tell, 
with  any  certainty,  whether  you  were  going  right 
or  not.  "When  ships  are  at  sea  they  find  no  roads 
laid  out  over  the  broad  surface  of  its  waters.  There 
are  no  milestones  to  mark  the  distance,  and  no 
finger-boards  to  point  out  the  wTay.  But  the  sailor 
takes  the  compass,  with  its  little  trembling  needle 
always  pointing  to  the  north,  and  this  becomes  his 
guide.  This  enables  him  to  tell  which  way  to  go. 
This  is  just  as  good  to  him  as  roads  and  finger- 
boards.  The  sailor's  way  at  sea  would  be  a  very 
unpleasant  one  if  he  had  no  compass  as  his  guide. 
But  the  guidance  which  this  gives  him  does  much 
to  make  his  way  a  way  of  pleasantness. 

Near  the  city  of  Rome,  in  Italy,  there  is  an  exten- 
sive burial  place,  called  the  Catacombs.  It  is  all 
under  ground,  and  reaches  for  miles  in  different 
ways.  The  paths,  among  the  tombs,  cross  each  other 
in  every  possible  direction,  so  that  even  in  the  broad 
light  of  day  it  would  be  a  perfect  puzzle  to  find 
one's  way   through  them.     But   no   ray   of   light 


THE   MAN   LOST   IN   THE   CATACOMBS.  9 

reaches  that  gloomy  place.  It  is  dark  as  midnight 
there.  Of  course,  then,  you  will  easily  understand 
that  to  enter  the  Catacombs,  without  a  guide,  is  a 
very  dangerous  thing.  So  many  lives  have  been 
lost,  in  consequence,  that  the  entrances  have  been 
closed  up,  and  no  persons  are  now  permitted  to  go 
in.  Before  this  was  done,  however,  there  was  once 
a  young  man  who  resolved  to  explore  the  Cata- 
combs. He  furnished  himself  with  a  light,  and,  in 
order  that  he  might  not  lose  his  way,  he  took  a  ball 
of  string,  and,  fastening  one  end  of  it  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  dark  passage,  he  carried  the  ball  with 
him  that  he  might  guide  his  way  out  by  it.  Having 
thus  furnished  himself,  he  went  in,  and  trod  cau- 
tiously along,  gazing  in  silence  on  the  different 
names  and  memorials  inscribed  on  the  tombs  in 
that  dark  city  of  the  dead.  He  spent  some  hours  in 
this  manner;  and,  dark  and  dismal  as  the  place 
was,  his  way  was  comparatively  pleasant,  because  he 
had  a  guide.  But  when  he  was  about  turning  to  go 
back  his  light  went  out.  And  in  the  alarm  which 
this  threw  him  into,  he  dropped  his  string,  which 
was  all  he  had  to  depend  on  to  lead  him  back  to  the 
outside  world  of  light  and  life.  He  stooped  down 
at  once  to  pick  up  his  guiding-string,  but  he  could 
not  find  it.  He  got  down  on  his  knees,  and  felt 
carefully  around  in  every  direction  for  that  precious, 
precious  thread,  on  which  hung  all  his  hope  of  life 
and  deliverance ;  but  in  vain.  He  turned  and 
groped,  and  groped  and  turned,  till  weary  with  the 
effort;  but  to  no  purpose.  Then  he  began  to  de- 
spair.  He  felt  that  he  was  buried  alive.   He  thought 


10  THE    MAN   LOST   IN   THE   CATACOMBS. 

of  his  home,  of  his  friends,  and  of  the  bright  and 
beautiful  world  without,  and  wept  bitter  tears  of 
sorrow  over  his  folly  in  entering  that  gloomy  abode. 
But  he  soon  felt  that  weeping  would  do  him  no 
good.  So  he  resolved  to  make  a  desperate  effort  to 
escape,  before  giving  himself  up  to  die.  Then  he 
began  in  utter  darkness  to  grope  his  way  back.  But 
he  had  no  guide;  and,  ah!  he  felt  how  dreadfully 
unpleasant  his  way  was  made  simply  by  his  want 
of  a  guide.  He  walked  on  in  darkness,  till  com- 
pelled to  stop  and  rest.  Again  he  walked,  and 
again  he  rested.  He  continued  his  efforts  for  hours, 
that  seemed  like  ages  to  him.  But  it  was  for  life 
that  he  was  struggling,  and  so  he  toiled  on,  and  on, 
and  on,  till  at  last  his  energies  were  exhausted.  He 
felt  that  it  was  of  no  use.  He  thought  that  he  must 
die;  and,  just  as  he  was  sinking  in  utter  despair  to 
the  earth,  he  thought  he  saw  a  faint  glimmer  of 
light.  This  revived  his  sinking  heart.  He  struggled 
on  a  little  farther ;  he  turned  a  corner  of  the  way ; 
and,  oh !  joy  of  joys  to  him,  there  was  the  broad 
light  of  day.  A  merciful  Providence  had  directed 
his  steps  in  the  dark  and  brought  him  out  in 
safety. 

A  safe  guide  is  the  first  thing  necessary  to  make  a 
way  pleasant.  In  Religion's  way  we  have  this.  The 
Bible  is  our  guide  here.  It  is  a  safe  guide.  It  never 
leads  us  wrong.  It  shows  us  the  dangers  in  our 
path,  and  how  •  we  may  avoid  them.  It  will  go 
with  us  all  through  life,  and  lead  us  to  heaven  at 
last.  Religion's  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness, 
because  we  have  a  safe  guide  in  these  ways. 


GOOD    COMPANY.   '  II 

But  the  second  thing  which  makes  a  way  pleasant  is 
good  company. 

If  you  have  a  journey  to  take  all  alone,  with  no 
one  to  talk  to  on  the  way,  how  long  and  dreary  that 
journey  will  seem !  But  if  you  have  two  or  three 
friends  and  companions  with  you,  whom  you  love 
very  much,  and  they  talk  with  you  as  you  travel  on, 
telling  you  all  about  the  different  houses  you  pass 
by,  the  names  and  characters  of  the  people  who  live 
in  them,  and  all  about  the  different  places  that 
come  in  sight,  and  the  various  things  that  have  hap- 
pened in  connection  with  them,  this  will  keep  your 
mind  fully  occupied.  You  would  not  feel  tired;  the 
time  would  pass  without  your  knowing  it,  and  the 
way  would  seem  very  short,  and  very  pleasant. 
Now,  those  who  walk  in  Wisdom's  ways  have  the 
very  best  company.  All  good  Christians  are  their 
fellow-travellers.  You  remember  how  Moses  spoke 
to  his  father-in-law,  when  he  wanted  to  persuade 
him  to  become  an  Israelite,  and  serve  God  with  him 
and  his  people.  He  said,  (Numb.  x.  29,)  "  Come 
thou  with  us,  and  we  will  do  thee  good ;  for  we  are 
journeying  to  the  place  of  which  the  Lord  hath 
said,  I  will  give  you." 

And  so,  when  Ave  begin  to  serve  God,  we  are  tra- 
velling to  the  land  of  promise,  the  heavenly  Ca- 
naan, the  good  land  which  God  will  give  to  his  peo- 
ple. And  Wisdom's  ways  are  the  ways  in  which 
we  are  to  travel,  to  reach  that  land.  And  all  God's 
people  are  our  fellow-travellers,  in  trying  to  reach 
that  happy  land.  But  we  have  better  company  than 
this,  in  Wisdom's  ways      The  holy  angels  are  the 


12  GOD   AND   Tn"E   ANGELS   THE   BEST   COMPANY. 

companions  of  all  who  walk  in  these  ways.  St. 
Paul  says  that  the  angels  "are  all  ministering  spirits, 
sent  forth  to  minister  unto  those  who  are  heirs 
of  salvation."  This  means  all  true  Christians, — all 
who  love  and  serve  God.  And  David  says,  "  The 
angel  of  the  Lord  encampeth  round  about  them 
that  fear  him,  and  delivereth  them." 

Now,  these  angels  are  silent  companions:  they 
are  not  allowed  to  speak  to  us.  They  are  invisible 
companions :  we  cannot  see  them.  But  still,  they 
are  real  companions  of  all  who  walk  in  Wisdom's 
ways.  But,  though  silent  and  invisible,  they  are 
active  and  useful  companions.  God  employs  them 
to  take  care  of  us,  to  protect  us  from  harm,  and 
prevent  many  evils  that  Satan,  and  his  evil  spirits, 
would  inflict  upon  us. 

But  we  have  better  company  even  than  this,  in 
Wisdom's  ways.  God,  himself,  will  be  the  com- 
panion of  all  who  walk  in  these  ways.  Enoch 
walked  in  these  ways,  before  the  flood;  and  when 
the  Bible  tells  us  about  him,  it  says,  "Enoch  walked 
with  God."  And  if  Enoch  walked  with  God,  then 
God  must  have  walked  with  Enoch.  Jesus  says, 
"  If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  words ;  and 
my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  unto 
him,  and,  make  our  abode  with  him'''  And  St.  Paul 
says,  "Truly  our  fellowship," — and  fellowship, 
you  know,  is  just  the  same  as  companionship, — 
"our  fellowship  is  with  the  Father  and  with  his  Son 
Jesus  Christ."  Ah!  this  is  good  company  indeed; 
this  is  the  very  best  company  we  can  have.  Only 
think,  my  dear  children,  of  having  the  Lord  Jesus 


THE    LORD   JESUS    A    PLEASANT   COMPANION.  13 

Christ  for  a  companion  !  And  though  he  is  invisi- 
ble too,  like  the  angels,  yet  he  is  not  silent  too,  like 
them.  Oh,-  no ;  he  speaks  to  his  people,  as  he  walks 
with  them,  and  what  he  says  makes  them  very 
happy.  As  he  walked  with  his  disciples  when  on 
earth,  and  talked  with  them  on  one  occasion,  "their 
hearts  burned  within  them/'  and  they  were  so  happy 
they  hardly  knew  what  to  do.  And  just  so  he  talks 
with  his  people  now.  It  is  not,  indeed,  by  words, 
spoken  to  their  outward  ears,  that  Jesus  talks  with 
his  people  now,  but  by  thoughts  put  into  their 
minds  by  his  Holy  Spirit.  In  this  way  he  speaks  to 
them  of  the  precious  promises  of  his  word,  of  what 
he  has  done,  and  suffered  for  their  salvation,  and  of 
the  glorious  home  which  he  has  prepared  for  them 
above.  There  is  nothing  in  the  world  can  make  us 
so  happy  as  to  have  Jesus  for  our  companion.  A 
good  man,  who  loved  Jesus  very  much,  once  wrote 
a  beautiful  hymn  about  the  happiness  he  found  in 
the  companionship  of  Jesus ;  and  in  that  hymn  he 
says, — 

"While  blest  with  a  sense  of  his  love, 

A  palace  a  toy  would  appear; 

And  prisons  would  palaces  prove, 

If  Jesus  would  dwell  with  me  there." 

The  good  company  found  in  Wisdom's  ways  ia 
the  second  thing  which  makes  them  uways  of  plea- 
santness." 

The  third  thing  which  makes  a  way  pleasant  is  sure 
protection. 

If  you  were  walking  along  a  road  in  which  steel- 
traps  were  hidden,  and  you  were  in  danger,  at  every 


14  THE    DANGEROUS    WAY. 

step,  of  being  caught  in  them,  there  would  be  no 
pleasantness  in  that  way.  The  danger  would  take 
away  all  pleasure.  You  remember  our  Saviour  told 
a  story  once  about  a  man  who  went  down  from 
Jerusalem  to  Jericho,  and  fell  among  thieves,  who 
robbed,  and  stripped,  and  wounded  him,  and  left 
him  half  dead.  The  road  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho 
was  a  very  dangerous  road  then.  It  was  a  narrow 
road  that  ran  winding  round  between  high  moun- 
tains. There  were  dark  caverns  in  the  sides  of  the 
mountains.  These  caverns  were  infested  with  rob- 
bers, who  watched  for  the  passing  travellers,  and 
sprang  out  to  rob  and  murder  them.  That  road  is 
just  as  dangerous  now,  as  it  wras  then.  So  many 
murders  have  been  committed  there,  that  it  is  called 
"the  bloody  way."  There  would  be  no  pleasant- 
ness in  travelling  that  way.  There  would  be  no 
safety  even,  unless  you  had  a  company  of  armed  men 
to  protect  you.  Protection,  in  travelling,  is  necessary 
if  we  would  have  pleasure  in  it. 

Now,  the  way  of  life  through  which  we  are  travel- 
ling is  a  way  full  of  dangers.  Like  the  road  from  Je- 
rusalem to  Jericho,  it  is  beset  with  robbers.  Satan, 
with  his  evil  spirits,  is  there,  like  the  captain  of  a 
band  of  robbers.  His  object  is  to  rob  our  souls  of 
all  right  feelings,  and  principles,  and  drag  us  down 
to  his  own  dark  den,  forever.  He  is  the  worst  rob- 
ber that  ever  was.  There  is  nothing  we  should 
dread  so  much,,  as  falling  into  his  hands,  and  being 
left  there.  Yet  this  must  happen  to  all,  who  do  not 
walk  in  Wisdom's  ways.  We  cannot  protect  our- 
selves, against  this   robber.     Our  best  friends  and 


HOW   ABRAHAM   WAS   PROTECTED.  15 

dearest  relations  cannot  protect  us.  Jesus  alone, 
can  afford  us  protection  here.  We  cannot  see  Satan, 
but  he  can.  We  know  not  where  he  lays  his  traps 
and  snares  for  us,  but  Jesus  knows.  And  he  can 
turn  away  our  feet  and  keep  us  from  falling  into 
those  snares.  He  said  to  Abraham,  once,  when  he 
was  in  danger,  "Fear  not,  Abraham;  I  am  thy 
shield"  Abraham  was  travelling  the  same  way  of 
life  that  we  are  travelling.  He  was  exposed  to  the 
same  dangers  from  Satan's  power  and  malice  that 
we  are  exposed  to.  Protection,  from  this  danger,  was 
necessary  for  him,  in  order  that  he  might  find  plea- 
santness in  that  way.  And  Jesus  promised  to  be 
his  shield,  and  assured  him  of  this  protection.  And 
this  promise  belongs  to  you,  and  me,  if  we  walk  in 
"Wisdom's  ways,  as  much  as  it  did  to  Abraham. 
Jesus  will  give  us  sure  protection  from  Satan,  the 
great  robber  of  souls.  Do  you  ask  how  will  Jesus 
protect  us?  Let  me  tell  you.  In  the  sixth  chapter, 
of  the  second  book  of  Kings,  we  find  a  very  interest- 
ing story  of  the  prophet  Elisha.  He  was  living  in  a 
little  village  on  a  mountain  in  Israel.  The  kins:  of 
S}7ria  was  at  war,  with  the  king  of  Israel,  at  that 
time.  And  whenever  the  Syrian  king  held  a  secret 
council,  with  the  captains  of  his  army,  and  laid  a 
plan  for  making  a  sudden  attack  upon  the  Israel- 
ites, Elisha  knew  it,  by  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  and 
sent  word  to  the  king  of  Israel,  who  went  there, 
with  his  army,  and  prevented  the  attack  of  the 
Syrians.  This  made  the  king  of  Syria  very  angry; 
and  he  sent  an  army  of  soldiers  to  take  the  prophet 
prisoner,  and  put  him  to  death.    This  army  came  by 


16  elisha's  protection. 

night,  and,  finding  out  the  place  of  Elisha's  abode, 
they  quite  surrounded  the  mountain,  "and  filled  the 
lower  part  of  it  with  their  numbers.  When  the 
prophet's  servant  arose  in  the  morning,  and  saw  how 
they  were  surrounded  by  the  horses  and  chariots  of 
their  enemies,  he  was  greatly  afraid,  and  cried  out, 
"  Alas !  my  master,  what  shall  we  do  ?"  But  Elisha 
felt  no  fear.  He  knew  very  well  what  safe  protec- 
tion they  had,  and  he  wanted  his  servant  to  know  it 
too.  Then  he  prayed  that  God  would  give  his  ser- 
vant power  to  see  what  he  saw;  and  God  opened 
his  eyes  to  see  spiritual  beings ;  and,  oh !  what  a 
sight  did  he  behold !  How  it  must  have  amazed 
him !  He  saw  the  mountain  full  of  horses  and  cha- 
riots of  fire  round  his  master  and  himself.  These 
were  angels  that  God  had  sent  to  take  care  of  them. 
What  harm  could  the  Syrians  do  them  while  they 
had  such  a  guard  ?  None  at  all.  No  wonder,  then, 
that  Elisha  was  not  hurt,  but  was  saved  in  the  sin- 
gular way  described  in  the  chapter  which  tells  this 
interesting  story.  This  shows  us  what  a  wonderful 
shield  God  is  to  his  people,  and  how  he  can  protect 
them  from  Satan  and  his  hosts,  just  as  easily  as  he 
protected  Elisha  from  the  army  of  the  Syriar3. 
Here  we  see  how  true  the  language  of  that  hymn  ia 
which  says, — 

"  That  man  no  guard  nor  weapon  needs, 
Whose  heart  the  blood  of  Jesus  knows ; 
But  safe  may  pass,  when  duty  leads, 

Through  burning  sands  or  mountain-snows. 

"Released  from  guilt,  he  feels  no  fear; 
Redemption  is  his  shield  and  tower; 


PROPER  PROVISION — A  PLEASANT  THING.       17 

He  sees  his  Saviour  always  near 
To  help  in  every  trying  hour. 

"  His  love  possessing,  I  am  blest, 

Secure,  whatever  change  may  come ; 
Whether  I  go  to  east  or  west, 

With  him  I  still  shall  be  at  home." 

Yes,  yes,  dear  children,  there  is  sure  protection  to 
those  who  walk  in  "Wisdom's  ways  ;  and  this  makes 
up  part  of  the  pleasantness  which  is  found  in  those 
ways. 

But  there  is  a  fourth  thing  which  tends  to  make  travel- 
ling pleasant  in  any  way ;  and  that  is,  to  have  proper 
provision  made  for  our  wants. 

Every  person  who  has  ever  had  to  travel  all  day, 
and  carry  a  burden,  w7ill  understand  what  a  very 
pleasant  thing  it  is  to  get  to  a  good  stopping-place 
at  night.  To  he  able  to  set  down  your  burden,  and 
wash  away  the  dust  and  soil  of  a  weary  journey; 
and  then  to  have  a  good  substantial  supper  pro- 
vided, and,  after  satisfying  your  hunger,  to  have  a 
nice,  clean,  comfortable  bed  to  rest  in : — these  are 
the  things  which  travellers  want,  and  it  is  having 
I  vper  provision  made  to  supply  these  wants  which 
i  parts  pleasantness  to  their  ways.  Where  this  pro- 
v  lion  has  not  been  made,  or  cannot  be  obtained, 
ti  ire  can  be  no  pleasure  in  travelling.  We  often 
h<  ar  of  sailors,  far  off  at  sea,  who  run  short  of  food 
and  water.  Their  provisions  fail ;  they  have  nothing 
to  eat,  or  drink,  and  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  get 
any.  Ah!  there  is  very  little  pleasantness  in  the 
sailor's  way  then.     Starvation   and   suffering  stare 

him  in  the  face,  but  he  cannot  help  himself. 

2* 


33 

And  travellers  on  land,  as  well  as  on  the  sea,  at 
times,  find  provisions  fail  them,  and  then  what  ter- 
rible unpleasantness  is  felt  in  their  ways!  Some 
time  ago  a  company  was  fitted  out  from  a  United 
States  naval  vessel,  under  the  command  of  Lieu- 
tenant Strain,  to  explore  the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  and 
see  if  it  would  be  possible  to  make  a  canal  across  it, 
so  that  vessels  might  get  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean  without  having  to  go  all  the  way 
round  South  America  and  Cape  Horn.  They  ex- 
pected to  get  through,  and  be  back  again,  in  a  few 
days,  and  only  took  provisions  with  them  accord- 
ingly. But  they  found  the  distance  many  times 
greater  than  it  had  been  represented  to  them.  They 
had  to  make  their  toilsome  way  through  a  trackless, 
tangled  wilderness.  It  took  them  about  as  many 
weeks,  as  they  expected  to  be  days,  employed  upon 
it.  Their  provisions  entirely  failed.  They  would 
toil  all  day  on  their  painful  journey,  and  then  have 
nothing  to  eat  at  night  but  such  roots,  or  berries,  or 
nuts,  as  they  might  gather  on  their  way.  Their  way 
was  a  way  of  unpleasantness,  because  they  had  no 
proper  provision  for  their  wants.  Some  of  them  died 
of  starvation,  and  they  were  all  wasted  away  to 
mere  skeletons  before  they  got  through.  The  offi- 
cers and  men  engaged  in  that  expedition  displayed 
a  degree  of  brave  endurance,  and  nobleness  of  cha- 
racter which  was  perhaps  never  exceeded,  and  which 
reflects  the  highest  honor  on  themselves,  and  on 
their  country.  And  they  would  understand,  much 
better  than  we  can,  how  greatly  the  pleasantness  of 
travellers'  ways  depends  on  having  a  proper  provi- 


THE   PROVISION    FOUND   IN    WISDOM'S    WAYS.  19 

sion  for  their  wants.  But  those  who  walk  in  Wis- 
dom's ways  have  a  provision  for  their  wrants  that 
never  fails.  The  Bible  says  to  them,  "God  will  sup- 
ply all  you  need,  out  of  the  riches  of  his  grace,  in 
Christ  Jesus."  God's  Sabbaths  are  the  resting-days 
which  he  has  appointed,  for  the  refreshment  of  those 
who  are  travelling  in  Wisdom's  ways.  The  church 
is  like  au  inn,  which  he  has  fitted,  and  furnished  for 
their  comfort.  Here,  a  constant  feast  is  prepared  for 
them.  Here,  is  the  bread  which  came  down  from 
heaven,  and  of  which  whosoever  eateth  shall  live 
forever.  Here,  are  the  wells  of  salvation  from  which 
his  people  draw  water  with  great  joy.  It  is  living 
water  which  they  yield.  Those  who  drink  of  this 
water  never  thirst  again,  but  they  carry  it  with 
them, — "  a  well  of  water,  springing  up  unto  everlast- 
ing life."  When  David  was  walking  in  these  ways 
he  said,  "The  Lord  is  my  shepherd;  I  shall  not 
want.  He  maketh  me  to  lie  dowm  in  green  pas- 
tures ;  he  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters."  In 
another  place,  he  says  that  others  "may  lack  and 
suffer  hunger,  but  they  that  wait  upon  the  Lord" — 
and  this  means  those  who  walk  in  Wisdom's  ways — 
"shall  want  no  manner  of  thing  that  is  good.'''  That 
is  a  glorious  promise  indeed ;  and  it  is  a  precious 
provision  which  it  makes  for  all  who  are  walking  in 
Wisdom's  ways.  Truly,  there  is  a  proper  provision 
for  them,  and  this  makes  the  ways  in  which  they 
are  walking  "ways  of  pleasantness." 

But  there  is  a  fifth  thing  which  helps  to  make  a  way 
pleasant,  and  that  is  a  pleasant  prospect. 

Everybody,  I   suppose,  has   heard   of   the   great 


20  AFRICAN   AND   SWISS    SCENERY   CONTRASTED. 

desert  of  Sahara  in  Africa.  It  reaches  for  hundreds 
of  miles,  in  every  direction,  like  a  vast  ocean  of  sand. 
There  are  no  roads,  no  shady  resting-places  or  cool 
fountains,  there.  No  tall  dark  mountains  there  lift 
up  their  huge  forms  to  the  view.  No  fields  of  grain, 
no  valleys  thick  with  corn,  no  murmuring  brooks,  no 
flowery  gardens,  no  beautiful  groves,  are  there.  Go 
where  you  will,  turn  where  you  may,  wide  wastes  of 
barren,  burning  sands  are  all  the  eye  can  rest  upon. 
Suppose  we  had  to  travel,  day  after  day,  over  those 
dreary,  desert  sands:  would  there  be  much  pleasant- 
ness in  our  way?  No,  indeed.  The  want  of  a  plea- 
sant prospect  would  make  it  as  uncomfortable  as  it 
well  could  be.  We  should  be  all  the  time  thinking 
about  some  of  the  beautiful  roads  we  had  travelled 
in  our  own  country,  like  the  shady  lanes  about  Ger- 
mantown,  or  that  most  charming  road  along  the 
Wissahickon ;  and  the  remembrance  of  them  would 
make  the  desert  seem  gloomier  still  by  contrast. 
Switzerland,  you  know,  is  a  country  famous,  all  over 
the  world,  for  its  beautiful  scenery.  Hundreds,  and 
thousands,  of  people  go  there,  every  year,  just  for 
the  purpose  of  admiring  its  beauties.  And  those 
who  travel  through  that  country  find  their  ways 
made  ways  of  pleasantness,  simply  by  the  pleasant 
prospects  which  are  before  them  there.  They  see 
mountains  whose  tops  are  covered  with  snow. 
Sometimes  the  clouds  gather  round  them,  and  then, 
again,  the  sunbeams  are  reflected  from  them  in  all 
the  varying  colors  of  the  rainbow.  Other  moun- 
tains are  seen  clothed  with  dark  green  woods,  and 
streams  of  water  are  gushing  down  their  sides  like 


|:  ]*if|!«!ii   m ft  III 

1      'I     til     /flff 


THE   PLEASANT    PROSPECTS    IN    WISDOM'S    WAYS.         21 

threads  of  silver,  and  wild  torrents  dash  themselves 
into  foam  and  spray.  The  prospect  varies,  and 
changes  continually,  and  affords  unceasing  plea 
santness  to  those  whose  ways  lead  them  through 
that  land  of  beauty. 

But  now,  you  may  be  ready  to  ask,  What  sort  of 
prospects  are  afforded  to  those  who  walk  in  Wis- 
dom's ways  ?  Oh,  here  are  pleasant  prospects  in- 
deed !  Nothing  in  all  the  world  can  be  compared 
to  these,  for  interest  and  beauty.  Prospects  of  hea- 
ven are  to  be  seen  from  these  ways.  Did  you  ever 
read  Bunyan's  Pilgrim's  Progress?  Next  to  the 
Bible,  it  is  one  of  the  best  books  in  the  world. 
Everybody  ought  to  read  it.  It  represents  the 
Christian,  in  one  part  of  his  journey,  as  reaching  an 
elevated  region  called,  "  the  Delectable  Mountains," 
and  looking  through  a  telescope,  and  getting  a  view 
of  heaven.  Now,  there  are  many  of  these  moun- 
tains in  "Wisdom's  ways,  and  heaven  can  be  clearly 
seen  from  the  top  of  them.  The  promises  which 
God  has  written  in  the  Bible  are  what  I  mean  by 
these  mountains.  Look,  for  instance,  at  the  last 
two  chapters  of  the  book  of  the  Revelation :  what 
a  beautiful  description  of  heaven  we  have  there ! 
Why,  when  we  read  those  chapters  we  feel  as  if  we 
were  standing  on  the  top  of  a  high  mountain,  and 
having  a  prospect  of  heaven,  in  all  its  glory,  spread 
out  before  us.  That,  is  the  fullest  and  clearest  pros- 
pect of  it  that  we  have.  But  there  are  a  great 
many  other  prospects  of  heaven,  to  be  met  with  in 
Wisdom's  ways,  less  clear  and  extensive  than  this, 
yet  all  beautiful  and  pleasant  prospects.     And  the 


22  A    COMFORTABLE    END. 

writer  of  that  sweet  hymn,  which  we  sometimes 
sing,  had  been  looking  at  these  prospects,  or  medi- 
tating on  the  promises  of  God's  word,  when  he 
wrote, — 

"  There  is  a  land  of  pure  delight, 
Where  saints  immortal  reign  ; 
Eternal  day  excludes  the  night, 
And  pleasures  banish  pain. 

"  There,  everlasting  spring  abides, 
And  never-fading  flowers: 
Death,  like  a  narrow  sea,  divides 
This  heavenly  land  from  ours. 

"Bright  fields,  beyond  the  swelling  flood, 
Stand  dressed  in  living  green ; 
So,  to  the  Jews,  fair  Canaan  stood, 
While  Jordan  rolled  between." 

And  these  pleasant  prospects,  found  in  Wisdom's 
ways,  make  them  ways  of  pleasantness. 

There  is  only  one  other  thing  I  would  speak  of,  as 
making  a  icay  pleasant,  and  that  is,  to  have  a  comfort- 
able end  in  view. 

"When  we  are  taking  a  journey,  the  question, 
Where  are  we  going  ?  must  have  a  great  effect  upon 
our  feelings.  Every  hoy,  or  girl,  who  has  had  to  go 
from  home  to  hoarding-school,  will  understand  all 
about  this.  You  remember  how  different  your  feel- 
ings were,  when  you  were  going  away  from  home, 
from  what  they  were,  when  you  were  returning 
home.  Yet  it  was  the  same  way,  that  you  travelled, 
in  both  cases.  The  chief  thins:  which  made  the 
difference  was  the  end,  you  had  in  view.  On  first 
taking  that  journey,  you  knew  that  the  end  of  it 
was,  a  school  among  strangers.     You  were  going  to 


GOING   FROM    HOME   OR   RETURNING.  23 

mingle  with  persons  whom  you  had  never  seen,  or 
known  before.  You  were  going  to  engage  in  du- 
ties that  were  new,  and  trying.  You  expected  to 
meet  with  difficulties,  and  perplexities,  in  this  new 
situation,  and  you  knew  not  yet  what  these  would 
be.  But  you  were  afraid  of  them,  and  the  mere 
thought  of  them  was  enough  to  make  you  feel  un- 
comfortable. The  end  in  view  made  your  way  un- 
pleasant. But,  ah  !  how  different  it  was  when  vaca- 
tion-time came,  and  you  were  leaving  school !  The 
road  you  had  to  travel  was  the  same,  but  the  end 
in  view  was  different,  and  that  made,  oh,  what  a 
change  in  your  feelings !  Instead  of  school,  with  its 
strange  faces,  and  hard  duties,  you  had  now,  no- 
thing to  think  of  but  your  dear,  sweet,  happy  home, 
with  the  looks  of  love,  and  smiles  of  affection, 
and  all  the  fond  familiar  objects,  which  you  knew 
were  awaiting  you  there.  And  the  thought  of 
these  things — the  comfortable  end  you  had  in  view — 
made  your  way  home  a  way  of  unmingled  pleasant- 
ness. And  it  is  just  the  same  in  any  other  journey. 
Here,  for  example,  is  a  stage-coach  just  starting  on 
a  journey  of  a  hundred  miles.  Among  the  passen- 
gers are  two  young  men.  They  are  both  going  to 
the  same  place.  They  are  going  by  the  same  road; 
they  are  in  the  same  conveyance,  sitting  on  the 
same  seat;  they  eat  the  same  food:  they  breathe 
the  same  air ;  they  look  out  on  the  same  beautiful 
scenery;  and  yet,  while  one  of  them  talks,  and 
smiles,  and  looks  bright,  and  happy  as  a  summer 
morning,  the  other  looks  very  differently.  He 
apeaks  to  no  one.     He  never  smiles.     He  takes  no 


24  TWO   TRAVELLERS   IN   A   STAGE-COACH. 

notice  of  the  beautiful  country;  but,  with  downcast 
eye,  and  melancholy  looks,  he  tries  to  avoid  the  ob- 
servation of  those  about  him,  and  seems  like  the 
image  of  sorrow,  and  despair.  The  way  they  are 
travelling  is  a  way  of  pleasantness  to  one  of  these 
young  men,  but  a  way  of  gloom  and  sadness  to  the 
other.  And  what  makes  the  difference  ?  It  is  the 
end  they  have  in  view.  One  of  them  has  been  tra- 
velling in  Europe,  for  several  years,  and  is  now 
returning  to  the  home  of  his  childhood.  His 
family,  and  friends  are  all  eagerly  expecting  him, 
and  ready,  with  open  arms,  and  warm  affectionate 
hearts,  to  welcome  him  back  again.  His  heart  is 
fairly  dancing  within  him,  and  every  nerve  in  his 
system  is  tingling  with  delight.  He  has  a  comfort- 
able end  in  view,  and  that,  makes  his  way  all  plea- 
santness. But  the  other, — poor  fellow ! — he  has  com- 
mitted a  forgery.  His  crime  has  been  found  out. 
He  has  been  taken  up,  and  is  now  on  his  way  back 
to  be  tried,  condemned,  and  punished.  The  grief 
and  sorrow  of  his  family,  and  friends,  and  a  prison 
with  its  deep,  and  enduring  disgrace, — this  is  the 
end  before  him  :  and  can  you  wonder  that  it  makes 
his  way  a  way  of  unpleasantness  ? 

And  the  end  we  have  in  view,  in  the  great  jour- 
ney of  life,  has  just  the  same  effect  upon  our  feel- 
ings. Those  who  are  walking  in  Wisdom's  ways 
have  a  very  comfortable  end  in  view.  They  have  a, 
glorious  home  in  heaven,  to  look  forward  to.  There, 
in  the  company  of  all  good  people,  with  the  holy 
angels,  and  God  their  Father,  and  Jesus  their 
blessed   Saviour,  they   shall   dwell  forever  in   un- 


HOW    TO    ENTER   WISDOM'S    WAYS.  25 

Bpeakable  happiness.  Oh,  this  is  a  comfortable  end 
to  have  in  view !  This  cannot  fail  to  make  the  ways 
of  Wisdom  pleasantness,  to  those  wTho  walk  in  them. 
And  when  you  think  of  these  six  things — the  safe 
guide,  the  good  company,  the  sure  protection,  the  proper 
provision,  the  pleasant  prospect,  and  the  comfortable  end 
— which  are  found  in  Wisdom's  ways,  you  cannot 
wonder  to  hear  it  said  that  "her  ways  are  ways  of 
pleasantness." 

And  now  I  think  I  hear  some  of  you  asking,  How 
can  we  get  into  these  ways  and  walk  in  them?  Let 
me  tell  you  in  a  few  closing  words.  When  Jesus 
wTas  on  earth,  he  said,  "I  am  the  way."  At  another 
time  he  said,  "  I  am  the  door ;  by  me,  if  any  man 
enter  in,  ho  shall  be  saved."  Now,  we  learn  from 
these  words  that  Wisdom's  ways  are  all  in  Jesus ; 
and  the  door  of  entrance  into  these  ways  is  found  in 
Jesus.  If  any  one  feels  that  he  is  a  sinner,  and  wants 
to  get  his  sins  pardoned,  he  must  go  and  pray  to  God 
to  pardon  his  sins  for  Jesus'  sake.  If  any  one  feels 
that  his  heart  is  wicked,  and  he  cannot  make  it  any 
better,  he  must  go  and  pray  to  God  for  Jesus'  sake 
to  change  his  wicked  heart,  and  take  away  all  his 
wrong  feelings,  and  make  him  like  Jesus.  We 
must  read  the  Bible  to  find  out  what  Jesus  did,  and 
what  he  has  told  us  to  do,  and  then  pray  to  God  to 
give  us  grace  to  do  these  things;  and  then  we  shall 
be  walking  in  Wisdom's  ways,  and  shall  know  our- 
selves how  pleasant  those  ways  are. 

May  God  guide  us  all  in  these  pleasant  ways,  and 

bring  us  to  his  heavenly  home  at  last,  for  Jesus' 

sake !  Amen. 

9 


THE  SPIDER'S  EXAMPLE. 

[an  anniversary  sermon.] 

ProV.  xxx.  28:    "The  spider  taheth  hold  with  Tier  hands, 
and  is  in  kings'  palaces." 

Now,  I  dare  say,  my  dear  children,  some  of  you 
will  be  ready  to  cry  out,  "What!  going  to  preach 
about  an  ugly  spider?"  Yes,  I  am  going  to  preach 
about  the  spider.  I  know  we  dislike  spiders  very 
much.  Almost  everybody  dislikes  them.  Some 
run  away  from  them,  as  soon  as  they  see  them. 
Others  try  to  kill  them,  whenever  they  can.  But, 
although  they  are  thus  disliked,  and  killed,  there  is 
a  great  deal  to  admire  about  the  spider,  and  there  is 
something  which  we  should  do  well  to  imitate,  too. 
Why,  one  of  the  prettiest  things  I  ever  remember 
to  have  seen,  was  a  spider's  claw,  when  looked  at 
through  a  microscope.  Now,  suppose  we  had  a 
large  microscope  here.  "We  catch  a  big  spider  and 
put  him  in,  so  that  we  may  examine  him  carefully. 
Oh,  there  are  some  rare  things  for  us  now  to  see ! 
When  we  put  the  crawler  in,  he  was  about  as  big  as 
a  bean ;  but  see,  now,  there  he  is,  almost  as  big  as  a 
bear.  See,  he  is  covered  all  over  with  rich,  soft- 
looking  fur.  .There  is  his  huge  head;  and  count 
how  many  eyes  are  in  it.  One,  two,  three,  four, 
five,  six,  seven,  eight !  Yes,  there  are  eight  eyes  in 
his  head,  as  shining,  and  bright  as  diamonds.    Look, 

26' 


TIIE    WONDERFUL    SPINNING-MACHINE.  27 

now,  at  his  long  legs.  Each  of  them  has  a  sort  of 
hand  at  the  end  of  it,  with  two  fingers  and  a  thumb. 
I  suppose  Solomon  never  saw  a  microscope,  and 
never  looked  at  a  spider  through  one.  Yet  he 
knew  what  he  was  saying  when  he  spoke  of  it  as 
taking  hold  with  its  "  hands"  and  not  with  its 
claws.  But  let  us  take  one  more  look,  through  the 
microscope,  at  our  spider.  Right  in  the  middle  of 
his  body  is  a  curious  spinning-machine.  No  human 
mechanic  ever  invented  any  thing  to  compare  with 
it.  It  weaves  threads  so  delicate,  that  the  finest  silk 
thread,  man  ever  wove,  seems  almost  like  a  cable  in 
comparison  with  it.  And  yet  each  one  of  these 
very  fine  threads  which  the  spider  weaves  is  made 
up  of  five  thousand  different  threads.  What  a  won- 
derful spinning-machine  is  this  !  How  little  people 
think,  when  they  thoughtlessly  crush  what  they  call 
"an  ugly  spider,"  how  much  that  is  curious,  and 
wonderful,  and  really  beautiful,  they  are  crushing ! 

But  you  may  ask,  Well,  what  has  all  this  to  do 
with  a  Sunday-school  anniversary  sermon  ?  Why, 
it  has  a  good  deal  to  do  with  it,  as  we  shall  see, 
before  we  get  through.  Now,  there  are  three  ques- 
tions which  I  am  going  to  ask,  and  answer ;  and 
these  will  be  the  things  about  this  sermon  which  I 
want  you  especially  to  remember.  The  first  question 
is  this : —  What  is  there  about  the  spider,  which  it  is  worth 
our  while  to  imitate  f 

The  second  is  this : —  What  does  the  spider  gain,  for 
itself,  by  these  things  f 

And,  third,  is  this: — What  may  we  gain,  to  our  selves  t 
by  imitating  these  things  ? 


28  HOW    SPIDERS   ARE    TAUGHT. 

Now,  tell  me  the  first  question  to  be  answered, 
What  is  there,  about  the  spider,  which  it  is  worth 
our  while  to  imitate  ?  There  are  two  things,  in  the 
spider,  that  we  shall  do  well  to  imitate;  and  these 
are  its  industry,  and  its  perseverance.  What  are  they? 
Industry  means  a  love  of  work.  The  spider  loves 
to  work.  It  is  born  with  a  love  of  work.  As  soon 
as  it  begins  to  live,  it  begins  to  work.  Every  spider 
is  a  weaver,  and  a  rigger.  And  the  youngest  spider 
knows  how  to  do  these  things  just  as  well  as  the 
oldest.  The  spider  never  has  to  go  to  school,  or  to 
take  any  lessons,  in  order  to  learn  these  trades.  It 
knows  them  by  wmat  w^e  call  instinct.  Instinct 
means  the  knowledge  which  God  gives  to  animals 
and  living  creatures,  when  he  makes  them.  The 
little  duck  knows  how  to  swim,  as  soon  as  it  is 
hatched,  without  any  teaching.  And  so  the  little 
bird  knows  how  to  build  its  nest,  and  the  bee  to 
gather  honey,  and  make  the  honey-comb,  wuthout 
ever  receiving  a  single  lesson.  God  is  the  teacher 
of  these  creatures.  He  makes  them  understand 
how  to  do  their  work.  And  they  always  do  it,  in 
the  very  best  way.  Kot  all  the  weavers,  and  spin- 
ners, and  riggers  in  the  wTorld,  can  beat  the  spider, 
in  the  work  that  he  does.  Look  at  that  broken  win- 
dow-pane, or  at  the  upper  corner  of  that  door-way. 
The  spider  has  been  there,  weaving  his  net.  How 
light  it  is !  It  seems  as  though  the  least  puif  of 
wind  would  blow  it  away.  But  no ;  the  strongest 
winds  sweep  by  it,  and  yet  it  stands  there  still.  See 
how  regularly,  and  straightly  the  threads  are  drawn, 
and  ?ec  too,  how  neatly  the  cross-pieces  are  fastened 


SPTDERS    OF   DIFFERENT    TRADES.  29 

to  them  !  The  spider  never  does  his  work  hurriedly, 
and  carelessly,  as  many  children  do.  He  always 
takes  time  for  it,  and  does  it  well.  His  fastenings 
never  come  undone.  He  is  really  industrious  and 
loves  his  work.  Spiders  have  many  different  kinds 
of  work  to  do,  but  they  are  all  done  in  the  very 
best  manner.  Some  are  hunting  spiders.  They 
spread  their  nets,  just  as  the  hunters  set  their  traps, 
in  the  woods  or  fields,  and  wait  patiently  till  their 
prey  is  caught  in  it,  and  then  pounce  upon  them 
and  devour  them.  Some  are  ma*,  n-spiders.  These 
build  little  huts  or  houses,  rather  bigger  than  a 
thimble,  to  live  in.  They  make  doors  to  them,  which 
they  shut  to,  when  they  go  in,  and  even  have  some- 
thing like  bolts,  to  fasten  them  with,  so  that  they 
can  keep  robbers  from  entering.  And  then  there 
is  another  kind  of  spider, — the  fishing  or  diving 
spider.  These  live  beside  the  water.  They  make  a 
sort  of  water-proof  house,  or  diving-bell.  In  this  they 
sink  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  water,  where  they 
eat  their  food,  and  stay  as  long  as  they  want  to ;  and 
when  they  get  hungry,  or  tired  of  staying  there,  they 
come  up  to  the  top  to  enjoy  a  change  of  scene,  and 
get  a  fresh  supply  of  provisions.  And  sometimes 
the  spider  seems  to  act,  just  as  if  he  had  the  power 
to  reason,  as  men  do.  A  gentleman,  who  was  very 
fond  of  studying  the  habits  of  different  animals,  and 
insects,  one  day,  when  he  was  walking  in  his  garden, 
found  a  large  spider.  It  was  near  a  pond  of  water. 
He  took  a  long  stick,  and  put  the  spider  on  one  end 
of  it.     Then  he  went  to  the  side  of  the  pon 3,  and, 

stretching  out  as  far  as  he  could,  he  thrust  the  other 

8* 


30  A    SPIDER   IN   PRISON,  AND   HOW    HE   GOT   OUT. 

end  of  the  stick  down  into  the  bottom  of  the  pond, 
and  left  it  standing,  straight  up  out  of  the  water, 
with  the  spider  upon  it.  He  then  sat  down  on  the 
bank,  to  watch  wThat  the  spider  would  do,  when  he 
found  himself  a  prisoner  there.  Presently,  the 
spider  began  to  move.  First  he  went  down  the 
stick  till  he  came  to  the  water.  He  went  round,  and 
round  the  stick,  feeling,  and  looking  carefully,  till 
he  found  there  was  no  getting  off  there.  Then  he 
went  to  the  top,  and  found  there  was  no  way  of 
escape  there.  Then  he  went  up  and  down  the  dif- 
ferent sides  of  the  stick,  till  he  became  satisfied  that 
there  was  nothing  leading  from  the  stick,  by  means 
of  wdiich  he  could  possibly  get  away.  Then  he  went 
once  more  to  the  top  of  the  stick,  and  remained  quiet 
for  a  while.  It  seemed  to  the  gentleman  as  though 
the  spider  were  saying  to  himself,  "Well,  I'm  in  a 
nice  fix  now;  what  in  the  wTorld  am  I  to  do  ?"  He 
seemed  to  be  taking  observations  from  the  top  of 
the  stick,  making  up  his  mind  what  he  was  to  do 
next.  Then  he  set  the  spinning-machine,  that  he 
carried  with  him,  in  operation.  He  wove  out  a  long 
coil  of  thread, — long  enough  to  reach  to  the  shore 
from  his  island-prison.  When  he  had  done  this,  he 
fastened  one  end  of  his  thread  to  the  top  of  the 
stick  and  let  the  rest  of  it  float  in  the  breeze. 
When  he  had  done  this,  he  went  sliding  down  along 
the  thread  which  he  had  spun  till  he  reached  the 
end,  where,  after  floating  in  the  air  a  little  while, 
he  lighted  safely  on  the  land,  and  scampered  away 
to  his  home.  Now,  certainly  these  things  show  us 
that   the  spider,  notwithstanding  his   ugliness,  de- 


PETER  THE  GREAT  LEARNING  TO  BE  A  SHIPBUILDER. 
Rills.  p.  31. 


PETER   TIIE   GREAT   AN   EXAMPLE   OF   INDUSTRY.         31 

serves  our  respect.  As  an  example  of  industry,  he  is 
worthy  of  our  imitation.  Industry  is  a  most  honor- 
able quality.  It  is  becoming  to  those  who  occupy 
the  humblest  position  in  life,  and  it  is  equally  be- 
coming to  those  who  occupy  the  highest  position. 
When  God  made  Adam  and  Eve  he  put  them  in  a 
garden,  that  they  might  have  an  opportunity  of 
being  industrious,  by  dressing  and  keeping  it,  be- 
cause he  knew  they  could  not  be  happy  without 
industry,  even  in  Paradise.  For  this  same  reason 
the  angels  are  industrious  in  heaven.  They  serve 
God  day  and  night.  And  they  are  very  happy  in 
serving  him.  The  greatest  men  have  generally  been 
the  most  industrious.  Peter  the  Great,  the  Emperor 
of  Eussia,  was  a  very  remarkable  man.  He  did 
more,  perhaps,  for  the  honor  and  welfare  of  his 
country,  than  any  other  monarch  that  ever  reigned 
over  it.  But  all  the  greatness  he  gained  for  himself, 
and  all  the  good  he  did  for  his  country,  was  owing 
to  his  wonderful  industry.  He  travelled  from  coun- 
try to  country,  and  learned,  by  working  with  his 
own  hands,  the  different  trades  which  he  wanted  to 
have  introduced  among  his  own  people.  And  our 
own  great  and  good  Washington,  was  as  remarkable 
for  his  industry,  as  he  was  for  every  excellence  that 
could  adorn  a  man,  a  general,  or  a  ruler.  On  one 
occasion,  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  he  was 
going  round,  in  disguise,  to  visit  some  log-forts,  that 
were  being  built.  In  the  course  of  his  walk,  he  met 
with  a  company  of  men,  who  were  hard  at  work, 
under  the  command  of  a  corporal.  This  petty 
officer,  proud  of  his  elevation  above  the  common 


32  WASHINGTON    AND   TIIE    CORPORAL. 

Boldiers,  was  walking  about,  full  of  the  thought  of 
his  own  importance,  and  crying  out,  every  now  and 
then,  "Come!  work  away,  bo3Ts!"  hut  he  never 
offered  to  help  them.  But  "Washington,  when  he 
saw  that  the  men  had  more  work  than  they  could 
well  do,  took  off  his  coat,  at  once,  and  began  to  help 
them,  saying,  "  Spring  to  it,  my  brave  fellows !  we 
are  working  for  our  country;  let  us  do  it  with  a 
good  will."  He  worked  away  with  them,  till  they 
got  through  ;  and  then,  when  he  was  putting  on  his 
coat,  he  asked  the  officer,  why  he  did  not  help  the 
men,  when  he  saw  they  had  more  work  than  they 
could  well  do.  "I  would  have  you  to  know,  sir," 
said  the  little  man,  "  that  I  am  a  corporal ;  I  don't 
work  !"  "  Oh !  are  you,  sir  ?"  said  the  great  man  ;  "  I 
would  have  you  to  know  that  I  am  the  commander- 
in-chief,  and  I  do  work."  "Well,  industry,  is  one  thing 
in  the  spider,  which  we  should  do  well  to  imitate. 

But  per  severance  y  is  another  thing  in  the  spider, 
that  deserves  our  imitation.  By  perseverance  we 
mean,  a  determination  not  to  be  discouraged,  in  any 
thing  we  undertake.  Some  people  will  try  to  do  a 
thing  once,  or  twice,  and  then,  if  they  meet  with 
difficulties,  they  give  up  at  once,  and  try  no  more. 
Now,  no  one  will  ever  get  to  be  either  great,  or 
good,  in  that  way.  We  must  expect  difficulties,  and 
disappointments,  in  every  thing  we  attempt  to  do ; 
and  if  we  fail  the  first  time,  we  must  begin  again, 
and  so  the  second  time,  and  the  third  time,  and 
keep  on  beginning  again,  until  we  do  it.  This  is 
just  what  the  spider  does.  If  you  sweep  down  its 
web  to-day,  it  will  begin  right  away  again  and  spin 


TRY   AGAIN.  33 

another.  And  so  it  will  go  on,  day  after  day,  as 
often  as  its  web  may  be  swept  clown.  The  spider 
seems  to  understand,  or,  at  least,  to  act  upon,  tho 
idea  contained  in  those  simple  lines, — 

"  If  at  first  you  don't  succeed, 

Try,  try  again. 
Let  your  courage  well  appear ; 
If  you  only  persevere, 
You  will  conquer,  never  fear; 

Try,  try  again. 

"  Twice  or  thrice,  though  you  should  fail, 

Try  again. 
If  at  last  you  would  prevail, 

Try  again. 
When  you  strive,  there's  no  disgrace, 
Though  you  fail  to  win  the  race  ; 
Bravely  then,  in  such  a  case, 

Try,  try  again. 


Try  again; 
Time  will  surely  bring  reward, 

Try  again. 
That  which  other  folks  can  do, 
Why,  with  patience,  may  not  you  ? 
Why,  with  patience,  may  not  you  ? 

Try,  try  again." 

This  is  just  what  the  spider  does.  And  if  we  only 
learn  to  do  this  well  we  shall  be  sure,  with  God's 
blessing,  to  succeed  in  every  right  thing  we  under- 
take. The  old  proverb  says,  "Perseverance  con- 
quers all  things."  And  how  many  examples  might 
be  mentioned  to  show  that  this  is  true  !  When 
Robert  Bruce  was  king  of  Scotland,  the  English 
armies   were   overrunning   the   land.     Bruce  tried 


34  BRUCE   AND   THE    SPIDER. 

hard  to  drive  them  out  of  his  country,  and  to  free 
his  people  from  their  yoke.  But  he  was  defeated 
in  several  battles.  After  one  of  these  defeats,  he  sat 
down  to  mourn  over  his  own  misfortunes,  and  those 
of  his  unhappy  country.  He  began  to  despair  of 
ever  doing  any  thing,  and  was  concluding  to  give 
up  the  attempt  and  not  try  any  more,  when  his  eye 
lighted  on  a  spider,  in  one  corner  of  the  room,  try- 
ing to  fasten  a  thread  in  a  particular  direction.  As 
often  as  he  fastened  it,  it  came  loose,  and  as  often  as 
it  came  loose,  he  fastened  it  again.  The  defeated 
warrior  was  very  much  interested  in  watching  the 
spider's  operations.  He  saw  what  wonderful  per- 
severance this  little  creature  had.  It  seemed  as 
though  nothing  would  discourage  it.  He  counted, 
some  say,  nineteen  or  twenty,  and  some  say  be- 
tween sixty  and  seventy,  times  that  the  spider  re- 
newed its  efforts  to  fasten  the  thread,  till  finally  it 
succeeded.  Then  Bruce  rose  up,  and  resolved  to 
imitate  the  example  of  the  spider,  and  to  struggle 
for  the  liberty  of  his  country  till  he  succeeded  or 
perished. 

I  remember  reading  once  of  a  bird,  of  the  bobo- 
link species,  that  was  confined  with  some  canaries. 
When  it  heard  the  canaries  sing,  the  bobolink  tried 
to  imitate  them,  but  found  it  could  not.  Then  it 
began  a  regular  series  of  experiments,  and,  taking 
one  note  at  a  time,  and  trying  till  it  mastered  that, 
it  went  on,  till  at  last  it  actually  learned  all  their 
notes,  and  could  join  in  concert  with  the  canaries, 
andcsing  just  as  well  as  they. 

"We  should  think  that  it  was  quite  impossible  for 


THE    BLIND    SCULPTOR.  35 

a  blind  man  ever  to  become  a  sculptor,  and  learn  to 
carve  out  images  of  men  and  animals,  from  wood 
and  stone,  without  ever  being  able  to  see  them. 
But  perseverance  has  accomplished  even  this,  as  it 
did,  in  the  case  of  the  blind  sculptor  of  Switzerland. 
This  man  was  attacked  with  the  smallpox,  when  he 
/~as  only  five  years  old.  It  left  him  entirely  blind. 
Letbre  losing  his  sight,  he  had  often  played  with 
those  little  figures  which  the  Swiss  people  make, 
and  had  even  tried  to  handle  a  knife,  and  form  some 
himself.  When  his  sight  was  gone,  he  often  thought 
about  those  images.  Then  he  would  take  them  in 
his  hands,  and  feel  them,  and  try  to  comfort  himself, 
for  the  loss  of  sight,  by  measuring  them  with  his 
fingers.  He  would  feel  them  again,  and  again,  and 
turn  them  over  in  every  way,  till  he  was  able,  by 
degrees,  to  tell  exactly,  by  the  touch,  the  size  and 
proportions  of  the  figure.  Then  he  began  to  think 
whether  he  could  not  succeed  in  supplying  the  loss 
of  sight,  by  the  sense  of  touch.  His  father  and 
mother  were  both  dead ;  and,  finding  himself  alone 
and  destitute,  he  resolved,  rather  than  beg,  to  try  to 
support  himself  by  his  own  exertions. 

Taking  a  piece  of  wood,  and  a  chisel,  he  began  to 
work.  His  first  attempts  were  very  troublesome, 
and  very  trifling.  Often  would  he  destroy,  by  a 
single  notch  made  too  deep,  a  piece  of  work  to 
which  he  had  devoted  long  days  of  labor.  Such 
difficulties  would  have  discouraged  most  persons, 
but  the  blind  man  persevered.  After  many  trials, 
he  at  length  succeeded  in  usino-  his  chisel  with  a 
steady  hand;   and  so  carefully  would  he  examine 


36  the  spider's  gains. 

each  fold  of  the  drapery,  one-  after  another,  and  the 
shape  of  each  limb,  till  he  came,  as  it  were,  to  see 
by  means  of  his  fingers,  the  figure  he  was  trying  to 
copy. 

Thus  he  went  on  by  degrees,  till  he  has  reached 
what  seems  an  almost  incredible  perfection ;  for  he 
is  able  to  engrave  from  memory,  the  features  of  a 
face,  and  make  one  exactly  like  it.  He  is  now 
seventy  years  old,  but  in  good  health,  and  works 
every  day  as  in  his  youth.  In  his  lifetime  he  has 
sculptured  many  hundred  figures.  He  is  happy,  and 
contented  with  his  lot,  and  his  works  remain  as  so 
many  monuments  of  the  wonderful  triumph  of  per- 
severance over  difficulties. 

Its  industry,  and  perseverance,  then,  are  the  two 
good  things  in  the  spider,  which  Ave  shall  do  well  to 
imitate.  This  was  the  first  question  we  were  to 
consider. 

We  come  now  to  our  second  question;  and  that  is 
this : —  What  does  the  spider  gain  by  its  industry  and 
perseverance  ? 

Solomon  says,  "  The  spider  taketh  hold  with  her 
hands,  and  is  in  kings'  palaces."  There  are  two 
things,  the  spider  gains  by  exercising  these  good 
qualities.  It  gains  an  honorable  place,  and  an  honest 
living.  A  king's  palace  is  an  honorable  place,  and 
there  the  spider's  industry  brings  her.  I  suppose 
there  never  was  a  king's  palace  built,  so  grand  and 
fine,  but  what  the  spider  took  hold  with  her  hands 
and  found  her  way  into  it.  All  the  soldiers,  and 
servants,  that  might  be  set  to  guard,  and  keep  it, 
could  not  prevent  the  spider  from  getting  in .     You 


THE    SPIDER'S    LIVING    AN    HONEST    ONE.  3} 

know  Solomon  built  a,  very  magnificent  palace  for 
his  queen,  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh,  king  of  Egypt, 
and  all  the  fine  ladies  of  his  court.  And  no  doubt 
great  pains  were  taken  to  keep  out  spiders,  and  all 
such  ugly  insects.  And  when,  after  all  his  care  and 
pains,  Solomon  looked  up  to  the  window  of  his 
palace,  or  to  the  corner  of  the  beautiful  pavilion, 
that  hung  over  his  throne,  and  saw  an  old  spider, 
spreading  out  his  web  there,  I  dare  say  he  felt  very 
much  vexed.  But  there  he  was,  and  there  he  would 
be.  Or,  if  they  swept  him  down,  and  killed  him, 
pretty  soon  there  would  be  another  in  his  place.  So 
that,  no  doubt,  the  wise  man  spoke  from  his  own  ex- 
perience when  he  said,  "  The  spider  taketh  hold 
with  her  hands,  and  is  in  kings'  palaces."  The 
industry  and  perseverance  of  the  spider  gain  her 
an  honorable  place. 

And,  at  the  same  time,  they  gain  for  her  an  honest 
living.  But  now,  I  think,  I  see  some  serious,  thought- 
ful child  shaking  his  head,  and  saying  softly  to  him- 
self, "Well,  I  don't  know  exactly,  about  that.  It 
seems  to  me,  that  this  thing  of  setting  traps  for  poor 
innocent  flies,  and  catching,  and  eating  them,  is  not 
a  very  honest  way  of  getting  a  living  after  all!"  It 
would  not  be  an  honest  way  for  us,  to  get  our  living 
in  such  a  way,  but  it  is  an  honest  way  for  the  spider. 
Now,  my  dear  children,  the  only  correct  rule  by 
which  to  judge  whether  any  thing  is  right,  or  wrong, 
is  to  ask  what  the  will  of  God  is,  concerning  it. 
God  cannot  will,  or  order  any  thing  wrong;  and 
whatever  God  does  will,  or  order,  you  may  be  sure, 

is  right.   It  would  not  be  honest,  or  right,  for  you  or 

4 


38  WHAT   MAKES   ANY   TIIINO    HONEST   OR   RIGHT. 

me  to  get  our  living  by  robbing  our  fellow-crea- 
tures, because  this  is  contrary  to  the  will  of  God. 
His  command  to  us  is,  "Thou  shalt  not  steal." 
"Do  violence  to  no  man."  But  isn't  it  honest  for 
the  fisherman  to  throw  his  line,  or  net,  into  the  river 
or  sea,  and  get  his  living  by  catching  the  poor  inno- 
cent fish  ?  Certainly  it  is.  God  made  the  fish  for 
this  purpose.  It  is  his  will  that  they  should  be 
caught  and  eaten ;  and  this  makes  it  honest,  and 
right,  for  the  fisherman  to  get  his  living  by  catching 
them.  Isn't  it  honest,  and  right,  for  the  butcher  to 
take  the  ox,  or  the  sheep,  to  the  slaughter-house  and 
kill  him  ?  Certainly  it  is.  God  made  them  to  be 
eaten.  It  is  the  will  of  God  that  they  should  be 
killed,  for  our  food ;  and  this  makes  it  honest,  and 
right,  for  the  butcher  to  get  his  living  by  killing 
them.  And,  just  so,  God  made  the  flies  for  the 
spider  to  eat.  It  is  the  will  of  God  that  he  should 
eat  them.  And,  therefore,  when  he  employs  his 
industry  and  perseverance  in  spreading  his  web,  and 
catching  flies,  he  is  gaining  an  honest  living  by  it. 
An  honorable  place,  and  an  honest  living  are  the 
two  things  which  the  spider  gains,  by  these  qualities 
so  worthy  of  our  imitation. 

But  there  is  a  third  question,  we  were  to  ask;  and 
we  are  ready  for  it  now.  The  third  question  is  this : 
— What  may  we  gain,  by  industry,  and  perseverance,  in  the 
use  of  the  means  in  our  power  f  We  may  gain  a  more 
honorable  place,  and  a  better  life,  than  that  of  the  spider, 
and  we  may  gain  these  for  others,  as  well  as  ourselves. 

"We  may  gain  a  more  honorable  place  than  the 
spider.     And  what  is  this?    It  is  a  place  in  the 


A  BETTER  PLACE  THAN  THE  SPIDER'S.       39 

great  palace  of  the  King  of  heaven.  That,  is  worth 
more  than  all  the  world — yes,  more  than  ten  thou- 
sand worlds — can  give.  It  is  spoken  of,  in  the  Bible, 
as  a  place  which  God  has  been  preparing  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world.  Solomon's  temple  was 
very  splendid,  and  yet  it  only  took  him  seven  years 
to  build  it.  This  world  that  we  live  in  is  a  very 
beautiful  world,  and  yet  it  only  took  God  six  days 
to  make  it.  But  it  is  almost  six  thousand  years 
since  the  world  was  made.  And  all  this  time  God 
has  been  preparing  that  heavenly  temple  in  which 
his  people  are  to  dwell  forever.  How  very  glorious 
it  must  be !  Oh,  what  an  honor  to  gain  a  place  there ! 
All  the  most  splendid  palaces  of  earthly  kings  are 
only  like  toys,  and  baby-houses,  in  comparison  with 
it.  But  you  must  not  think,  my  dear  children, 
because  we  speak  of  gaining  a  place  there,  that  any 
thing  we  can  do — any  works  or  goodness  of  ours — 
will  secure  this  blessing  to  us.  Oh,  no.  God  gives 
it,  of  his  own  free  grace,  to  poor  sinners,  such  as  we 
are,  for  the  sake  of  what  Jesus  did,  and  suffered  for 
us.  But  we  must  repent  of  our  sins,  and  believe  in 
Jesus,  and  then  be  industrious  and  persevering  in  try- 
ing to  learn,  and  do  his  will,  and  we  shall  certainly 
gain  this  honorable  place.  In  this  way  we  may,  like 
the  spider,  take  hold  with  our  hands,  and  be  in  the 
palace  of  the  Great  King.  That,  will  be  indeed  a 
more  honorable  place  than  ever  the  spider  can  gain. 
And  how  different  our  position  will  be  there,  from 
that  of  the  spider,  in  an  earthly  palace !  The  spider 
is  only  in  his  place  for  a  little  while,  but  we  shall  be 
in  God's  palace  forever  and  ever.    The  spider,  when 


40  A   PLACE   IN    GOD'S   PALACE. 

he  gets  into  a  king's  palace,  has  to  keep  out  of  sight, 
in  some  dark  corner,  or  immediately  he  is  swept 
down,  and  turned  out,  or  killed.  But,  if  we  enter 
God's  palace,  Jesus  will  take  us  everywhere  about, 
and  show  us  all  the  beautiful  things  there,  and  no- 
body will  dare  to  hurt  us,  or  send  us  away,  or  ask 
what  business  we  have  there.  The  spider's  nature 
is  not  changed,  because  he  gets  into  a  king's  palace. 
He  is  none  the  better,  or  prettier,  for  being  there. 
But  it  will  be  different  wTith  us,  if  we  gain  a  place  in 
God's  palace.  Our  nature  will  be  changed,  before 
we  enter  there.  Every  thing  sinful  will  be  taken 
away  from  us.  Jesus,  the  King  of  that  palace,  will 
make  us  as  good,  and  as  beautiful  as  he  is  himself. 
He  will  make  us  look  like  him,  and  he  will  make  us 
be  like  him.  Can  any  thing  be  thought  of  so  de- 
lightful as  this  ?  Is  it  not  truly  a  more  honorable 
place  than  the  spider's,  that  wTe  may  gain  for  our- 
selves, by  industry  and  perseverance,  in  serving  God  ? 
But  then  we  may  gain  a  better  life  too,  as  well  as  a 
more  honorable  place,  than  the  spider  gains  in  this 
way.  No  doubt  the  spider  finds  a  good  deal  of  en- 
joyment, such  as  it  is,  in  its  own  mode  of  living. 
It  would  not  suit  us,  indeed.  We  should  find  no 
pleasure  in  it.  But  God  is  so  good,  so  full  of  love 
and  happiness  himself,  that  every  living  thing  he 
has  made,  even  down  to  the  very  tiniest  insect  that 
moves,  finds  pleasure  in  the  way  of  life  appointed 
for  it.  With  most  of  these,  as  with  the  spider,  the 
enjoyment  of  life  is  of  a  very  low  kind.  It  is 
chiefly,  if  not  entire^,  enjoyment  connected  merely 
with  eating  and  drinking.     Now,  it  is  true,  that  this 


A    BETTER   LIFE   THAN    THE    SPIDER'S.  41 

is  a  great  deal  better  than  no  life  or  enjoyment  at 
all.  But,  ah  !  how  very  different,  from  this,  will  the 
life  and  enjoyment  be  of  those  who  "take  hold 
with  their  hands,"  and  gain  a  place  in  the  palace 
of  the  King  of  kings.  Their  life  will  not  be 
for  a  few  days  only,  but  for  everlasting  days.  It 
will  be  eternal  life.  Nobody  will  know  what  this 
means  till  they  come  to  find  it  out  by  experience. 
And  their  enjoyment  will  not  be  in  eating  and 
drinking,  but  in  something  far,  far  better.  When 
St.  Paul  was  speaking  about  this  once,  he  said,  "  The 
kingdom  of  God"  (and  by  this  he  meant  the  happi- 
ness of  heaven)  "  is  not  meat  and  drink,  but  right- 
eousness, and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost." 
The  happiness  of  heaven  will  be  found,  in  knowing 
and  loving  God,  in  studying  his  wonderful  works,  in 
growing  more  and  more  like  him,  and  in  serving 
him,  according  to  his  will.  This  is  the  kind  of  life 
the  angels  live.  How  noble,  how  glorious,  how 
happy  it  must  be !  Oh,  may  we  not  well  say,  that 
industry,  and  perseverance,  in  trying  to  serve  God, 
will  gain  for  us  a  better  life  than  they  gam  for  the 
spider  ? 

And  then,  by  imitating  the  spider,  in  this  way,  we 
may  help  others  to  gain  these  blessings  too,  as  well  as 
gain  them  ourselves.  This  is  something  the  spider 
never  can  do.  It  lives  for  itself  alone.  The  indus- 
try, and  perseverance,  with  which  it  weaves  its  web, 
and  catches  flies,  is  all  for  itself,  and  only  for  itself. 
But  it  is  different  with  us.  And  now  we  come  to 
that  part  of  the  sermon  which  bears  upon  our  anni- 
versary.    Our  missionary  offering,  we  all  feel,  is  on8 

4* 


42  DOING   GOOD   TO   OTHERS. 

of  the  most  interesting  things  connected  with  these 
happy  anniversaries.  In  preparing  these  offerings 
we  have  room  to  exercise  industry  and  perseverance. 
"We  make  our  offerings  for  the  purpose  of  sending 
the  gospel  to  those  who  are  living  in  "the  dark 
places  of  the  earth,  which  are  full  of  the  habitations 
of  cruelty."  And  in  sending  the  gospel  to  these 
benighted  people,  like  the  spider,  we  are  weaving  a 
net ;  but  of  a  very  different  kind  from  his,  and  for  a 
very  different  purpose.  He  weaves  his  net  to  catch 
flies.  "We  weave  ours  to  catch  immortal  souls.  He 
desires  to  catch  flies,  that  he  may  plunder  them,  and 
torture  them,  and  put  them  to  death.  We  desire  to 
catch  souls,  in  the  net  of  the  gospel,  to  enrich  them, 
and  bless  them,  and  make  them  happy  forever,  in  the 
palace  of  the  King  of  heaven.  Our  object,  in  doing 
this,  is  beautifully  expressed  in  one  of  our  sweet 
anniversary  hymns,  which  says, — 

"We  bring  our  little  offering; 

And,  humble  though  it  be, 
We  ask  our  God  to  bless  it, 

On  low,  and  bended  knee : 
Perhaps  a  Bible  purchased 

With  this,  so  freely  given, 
May  teach  some  wandering  heathen  child 

The  way  to  God  and  heaven." 

We  know  that  this  has  been  the  result  of  our  offer- 
ing in  one  case,  and  we  hope  it  may  be  so,  in  many 
cases.  You  remember,  my  dear  children,  that,  the 
very  first  time  we  had  a  missionary  offering  at  our 
anniversary,  we  sent  part  of  our  collection  to  Africa, 
and  part  of  it  to  China.     Four  or  five  years  after 


ENCOURAGEMENT   TO   WORK.  43 

wards,  just  a  few  days  before  the  time  for  holding 
another  anniversary,  we  received  a  letter  from  one 
of  our  missionaries  in  China,  giving  a  very  interest- 
ing account  of  the  conversion,  and  happy  death  of 
a  Chinese  youth,  connected  with  the  mission-school. 
This  youth  had  been  taken  into  the  school  to  be 
suj  ported,  and  educated,  by  means  of  the  money 
sent  out  from  our  first  missionary  collection.  After 
being  there  two  or  three  years,  he  became  a  Chris- 
tian. Then  he  was  taken  sick,  and  died.  But  he 
died  with  a  hope  in  Jesus.  And  it  was  very  plea- 
sant, and  encouraging  to  us,  to  hear  of  such  a  result 
following  from  our  first  missionary  offering.  It 
seemed  like  a  voice  from  heaven  saying  to  us,  "  Go 
on  in  your  good  work ;  do  not  be  discouraged ;  try 
all  you  can  to  send  the  gospel  to  the  poor  souls 
perishing  without  it,  and  you  shall  reap  a  rich  re- 
ward at  last."  Then  let  us  "take  hold  with  our 
hands"  afresh  in  this  blessed  work.  Let  us  imitate 
the  industry,  and  perseverance,  of  the  spider;  and 
may  God  grant,  that  we  may  both  gain  a  place  in 
the  palace  of  the  King  of  heaven  for  ourselves,  and 
be  the  means  of  bringing  a  great  many  others  there 
also,  lor  Jesus'  sake.  Amen. 


THE  MAKES   OF  A  BEN-OOT. 

Gen.  xxxv.  18  :  JShe  called  his  name  Ben-oni ;  hut  his  father 
called  him  Benjamin. 

These  words  were  spoken  of  Rachel,  Jacob's 
wife.  Her  youngest  child  had  just  been  born  :  she 
was  very  sick,  and  was  going  to  die.  The  little 
child  was  lying  by  her.  She  called  to  see  it ;  she 
kissed  it,  and  called  his  name  Ben-oni.  Ben-oni 
means,  "the  son  of  my  sorrow."  This  child  was 
about  to  occasion  the  death  of  his  mother,  and 
therefore  she  gave  him  this  name.  She  was  sorry 
to  leave  her  husband,  her  family,  and  her  friends ; 
and  this  feeling  of  sorrow  led  her  to  call  his  name 
Ben-oni. 

"But  his  father  called  him  Benjamin."  Benja- 
min means,  "the  son  of  a  right  hand."  Our  right 
hand  is  a  great  comfort  and  blessing  to  us.  What 
could  we  do  without  a  right  hand  ? 

Now,  every  child  that  is  born  into  this  world  will 
be  either  a  Ben-oni,  or  a  Benjamin.  There  is  not 
much  difference  between  these  two  names,  but  there 
is  a  great  deal  of  difference  between  the  natures 
which  they  represent.  All  these  children,  here  as- 
sembled, are  either  Ben-onies,  or  Benjamins.  These 
names  refer  to  girls  as  well  as  to  boys.  You  will 
all  be  children  of  sorrow,  or  children  of  help  and 

comfort  to  your  parents. 
44 


ILL-TEMPER    THE   MARK    OF   A   BEN-ONI.  45 

Now,  the  great  question,  for  us  to  consider  is, 
"What  are  the  marks  of  a  Ben-oni,  or  of  a  Ben- 
jamin ? 

We  shall  mention  four  things  which  may  always 
be  considered  as  the  marks  of  a  Ben-oni ;  and  the 
opposite  of  these,  of  course,  will  he  the  marks  of  a 
Benjamin. 

The  first  mark  of  a  Ben-oni — "a  child  of  sor- 
row"— is  ill-temper. 

Suppose  you  had  to  walk,  four  or  five  miles,  with 
a  pebble  in  your  shoe  :  or  suppose  you  had  to  wear  a 
coat  or  dress  with  a  pin  sticking  in  it ;  or  suppose 
you  had  to  lie  all  night  in  bed  with  a  porcupine  by 
your  side,  sticking  you  with  his  sharp-pointed  quills  : 
what  an  uncomfortable  thing  it  would  be  !  But 
none  of  these  things  are  so  uncomfortable  as  to 
be  connected  with  an  ill-temper.  An  ill-temper  is 
the  most  uncomfortable  thing  in  the  world.  We 
can  protect  ourselves  against  many  uncomfortable 
things.  Thus,  we  put  roofs  on  our  houses  to  keep 
the  rain  off,  which  would  be  uncomfortable  ;  we  put 
doors  and  windows  in  our  houses  to  keep  the  cold 
and  wind  out,  which  would  be  uncomfortable ;  but 
how  are  we  to  keep  bad  tempers  out  of  our  houses  ? 
All  peevish,  cross,  ill-natured  children  are  Ben-onies, 
— children  of  sorrow  to  their  parents,  and  the  fami- 
lies where  they  dwell. 

There  were  two  little  boys,  in  a  Southern  city, 
whose  names  were  Augustus,  and  Eugene.  They 
were  playing  top,  and  had  but  one  between  them, 
which  they  spun  alternately.  At  first  they  played 
very  pleasantly,  but  soon  became  very  angry  and 


46  A   BROTHER   KILLED    FOR   A   TOP, 

began  to  speak  unkindly.  Eugene  said,  "It's  my 
turn  to  spin  the  top  now." 

"Eo,  it's  not;  it's  mine!"  said  Augustus. 

Then  they  grew  very  angry  about  it.  Augustus 
then  said  to  Eugene, — 

"You  lie!" 

Then  Eugene  struck  him,  and  Augustus  struck  him 
back  again.  They  seized  each  other  in  great  rage, 
and,  in  the  scuffle,  Eugene  took  a  long  sharp  knife 
from  his  pocket  and  stabbed  Augustus,  so  that  he 
died  in  a  few  moments.  Augustus  lost  his  life,  and 
Eugene  became  a  murderer,  merely  to  decide  whose 
turn  it  was  to  spin  a  top.  There  was  ill-temper; 
and  what  a  Ben-oni  that  ill-temper  made  him  to  his 
parents,  and  to  the  family  to  which  he  belonged ! 

There  was  a  rich  nobleman,  in  England,  who  had 
a  little  daughter,  named  Anne.  They  were  very 
fond  of  her;  for  she  was  a  fine  little  creature,  very 
lively,  and  merry,  and  affectionate,  and  exceedingly 
beautiful.  But  she  had  a  very  ill-temper.  When 
any  thing  vexed  her,  she  would  fly  into  a  rage,  and 
turn  and  strike  any  one  that  provoked  her.  After 
every  fit  of  anger  she  would  be  ashamed  and  sorry, 
and  resolve  never  to  do  so  again.  But  the  next 
time  she  was  provoked  it  was  all  forgotten,  and  she 
was  as  angry  as  ever.  When  she  was  between  four 
and  five  years  of  age,  her  mother  had  a  little  son, — 
a  sweet  little  tender  baby.  Anne's  nurse,  who  was 
thoughtless  and  wicked,  loved  to  tease  her,  because 
she  was  so  easily  irritated ;  and  so  she  told  her  that 
her  father  and  mother  would  not  care  for  her  now, 
because  all  their  love  and  pleasure  would  be  in  this 


LITTLE    ANNE A    MURDERER   BY   ILL-TEMrER.  47 

little  brother,  and  they  would  not  mind  her.  Poor 
Anne  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears,  and  cried  bitterly, 
saying,  "You  are  a  naughty  woman  to  say  so! 
Mamma  will  always  love  me ;  I  know  she  will, 
and  I'll  go  this  very  moment  and  ask  her."  And 
she  ran  out  of  the  nursery  and  hastened  to  her  mo- 
Iher's  room.  The  servant  called  after  her: — "Come, 
miss,  you  needn't  go  to  your  mother's  room ;  she 
won't  see  you  now."  Anne  burst  open  the  door, 
but  was  instantly  caught  hold  of  by  a  strange  wo- 
man, she  had  never  seen  before.  "My  dear,"  said 
this  woman,  "you  cannot  see  your  mother  just 
now;"  and  she  was  going  on  to  tell  that  it  was 
because  she  was  very  sick,  and  could  not  be  dis- 
turbed. But  she  was  too  angry  to  listen ;  and  she 
screamed  ancl  kicked  at  the  woman,  who  was 
obliged  to  take  her  by  force  and  carry  her  back  to 
the  nursery.  When  she  put  her  down  she  gave  the 
servant  a  charge  not  to  let  her  go  to  her  mother's 
room.  This  added  to  her  rage.  But  the  thought- 
less, wicked  servant,  instead  of  trying  to  soothe  and 
quiet  her,  burst  out  into  a  laugh,  and  said,  "  I  told 
you  that,  miss.  You  see  your  mamma  does  not 
love  you  now."  Then  the  poor  child  became  mad 
with  fury.  She  seized  a  smoothing-iron,  and,  dart- 
ing forward,  threw  it  upon  the  baby's  head,  as  it  lay 
in  the  cradle.  The  child  gave  one  struggle,  and 
breathed  no  more. 

Anne's  mother  died  that  night  of  grief.  Anne 
grew  up  in  the  possession  of  great  riches.  She 
had  every  outward  comfort,  about  her,  that  money 
could  procure;   but  she  was  a  very  unhappy  and 


48  THE   LITTLE    GIRLS    WHO    WERE   BENJAMINS. 

miserable  woman.  She  was  never  known  to  smile. 
The  thought,  of  the  terrible  consequences  of  that 
one  outburst  of  passion,  pressed  upon  her,  like  a 
heavy  burden,  all  her  days;  Ah!  what  a  Ben-oni 
this  erirl  became  !  She  was  a  child  of  sorrow  to  her 
parents.  Her  ill-temper  made  her  so.  If  you  give 
way  to  such  tempers,  my  dear  young  friends,  you 
will  certainly  be  Ben-onies ;  but  if  you  strive,  and 
pray,  against  such  feelings,  and  try  to  be  gentle, 
kind,  and  pleasant  to  those  around  you,  then  you 
wTill  be  Benjamins, — children  of  the  right  hand  to 
your  parents.  See,  now,  how  differently  such  chil- 
dren will  act. 

A  gentleman  was  walking  on  the  Battery,  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  one  day,  and,  as  he  passed  a  little 
girl,  who  was  cheerfully  rolling  her  hoop,  he  said  to 
her,  "You  are  a  nice  little  girl;"  to  which  she 
replied,  patting  her  little  brother  on  the  head,  "And 
Bobbie  is  a  nice  little  brother  too."  Here  was 
good-temper,  which  would  make  this  dear  child 
"a  child  of  the  right  hand"  to  her  parents,  and  cause 
her  to  be  loved  by  all  who  were  about  her. 

A  mother  who  was  in'  the  habit  of  asking  her 
children,  before  the}T  retired  at  night,  what  they  had 
done  to  make  others  happy,  found  her  young  twin- 
daughters  silent, 

She  spoke  tenderly  of  habits  and  dispositions 
founded  on  the  Golden  Rule, — "  Do  unto  others  as 
you  would  have  them  do  to  you."  Still,  these 
bright  little  faces  were  bowed  in  silence.  The  ques- 
tion was  repeated.  "I  cannot  remember  any  thing 
good  all  this  day,  dear  mother,"  said  one  of  the 


IDLENESS THE    MARK    OF   A   BEN-ONI.  49 

little  girls ;  "  only  one  of  my  class-mates  was  happy, 
because  she  had  gained  the  head  of  the  class,  and  I 
ramiled  on  her,  and  ran  to  kiss  her.  She  said  I  was 
good.     That  is  all,  dear  mother." 

The  other  spoke  still  more  tenderly: — "A  little 
girl,  who  sat  with  me  on  the  bench  at  school,  lost  a 
little  brother ;  and  I  saw  that,  while  she  studied  her 
lesson,  she  hid  her  face  in  the  book  and  wept.  I  felt 
sorry,  and  laid  my  face  on  the  same  book,  and  wept 
with  her.  Then  she  looked  up,  and  was  comforted, 
and  put  her  arms  around  my  neck;  but  I  do  not 
know  why  she  said  I  had  done  her  good." 

These  were  children  of  good  tempers, — children 
whose  pleasant  dispositions  would  make  them  chil- 
dren of  the  right  hand  to  their  parents, — real  Benja- 
mins indeed. 

Ill-temper,  then,  is  the  first  mark  of  a  Ben-oni, 
— a  child  of  sorrow. 

The  second  mark  of  a  Ben-oni  is  idleness. 

Idle  children  love  to  lie  in  bed  in  the  morning ; 
they  love  to  do  nothing  all  day,  if  they  can  help  it, 
but  play. 

It  is  a  great  trouble  to  get  them  to  study,  to  read, 
or  to  work.  Now,  idle  children  always  make  idle 
men ;  for  the  habits  which  children  form,  while  they 
are  children,  will  surely  remain  with  them,  when 
they  grow  up  to  be  men  and  women. 

John  Alsop  was  about  fifteen  years  old  when  his 
father,  who  had  just  moved  into  a  new  settlement, 
was  clearing  land.  One  day  the  father  and  a  neigh- 
bor were  engaged  in  building  a  log-fence,  which 
was  made  of  the   trunks  of  the  trees,  that  were 


50  RUNNING    A^TER    SQUIRRELS. 

cleared  off  the  lands.  £\rst,  they  laid  tlie  fence  one 
log  high,  with  the  enOo  of  each  length  passing  a 
little  way  "by  each  other.  Notches  were  cut  in  the 
ends,  and  a  block  was  laM  crosswise,  where  the  ends 
lapped,  and  then  another  i\sr  was  laid  on  the  cross- 
pieces,  till  the  fence  was  hi^h  enough.  To  roll  up 
the  top  logs,  they  would  lay  long  poles,  called  skids, 
one  end  on  the  top  of  the  logs,  and  the  other  on  the 
ground,  and  roll  up  the  logs  on  these.  But,  as  the 
logs  were  very  heavy,  they  were  cbUged  to  stop 
several  times  to  rest,  or  to  get  a  new  hold ;  and  it 
was  John's  business,  when  they  stopped,  to  put  a 
block  under  the  log,  to  keep  it  from  rolling  back. 
Having  given  a  hard  lift,  and  tugging  with  all  his 
might,  the  father  called  out,  "  There,  Johnny!  put 
under  your  block ! — quick !"  Johnny  started  nimbly, 
and  snatched  up  his  block,  when,  suddenly,  ths 
chirp  of  a  little  squirrel  struck  his  ear.  Instantly, 
down  went  his  block,  and  away  he  ran  after  th« 
squirrel,  leaving  his  father,  and  the  other  man,  to 
hold  the  log  till  he  came  back.  This  anecdote  give, 
you  John's  character.  He  was  an  idle  boy.  H« 
had  no  fondness  for  work ;  he  was  not  willing  tc 
follow  any  one  object,  or  pursuit,  long  enough  tc 
accomplish  any  thing.  Thirty  years  after  this,  a 
gentleman,  who  had  known  him  in  his  youthful 
days,  inquired  about  him,  of  one  of  his  neighbors, 
who  related  this  anecdote,  and  added,  "He  has  been 
running  after  squirrels  ever  since.' "  He  never  was 
steady  and  persevering  in  the  pursuit  of  any  thing. 
When  he  was  a  young  man,  he  never  could  make  up 
his   mind   decidedly  what    emplryment  to  fol.ow, 


ALL   THINGS    IN    NATURE    BUSY.  51 

He  had  no  industry;  he  would  try  one  thing  a  little 
while,  get  tired  of  it,  and  then  take  up  another; 
but  followed  no  business  long  enough  to  get  well 
acquainted  with  it.  He  has  always  been  hunting  the 
squirrel 

Now,  we  are  to  remember,  dear  children,  that 
God  is  busy  at  all  times,  and  almost  every  thing 
that  God  has  made  is  busy.  Look  at  the  sun  ;  it  is 
always  at  work,  shining  and  shining  and  shining 
from  one  year's  end  to  the  other.  In  the  daytime 
it  is  shining  in  our  part  of  the  world,  and  when  it 
is  night  to  us,  it  is  shining  in  the  opposite  part  of 
the  world.  And  so  it  is  with  the  moon, — always 
shining,  in  one  part  of  the  world  or  the  other.  So 
it  is  with  the  sea ;  its  waves  are  rising,  and  falling, 
and  rolling,  and  flowing,  continually.  So  it  is  with 
the  rivers ;  they  are  continually  running,  from  the 
fountains  where  they  spring,  on,  on  to  the  ocean. 
And  so  it  is  with  the  little  birds,  and  little  fishes, 
and  the  bees,  and  the  ants :  none  of  these  are  idle. 

Idleness  always  leads  to  ignorance,  and  poverty, 
and  uselessness,  dear  children,  and  idle  persons 
never  do  any  thing  good,  to  themselves,  or  to 
others.  They  never  succeed  in  business;  they  never 
get  on  in  life. 

A  gentleman  in  England  had  an  estate  which  was 
worth  about  a  thousand  dollars  a  year.  For  a  while 
he  kept  his  farm  in  his  own  hands,  but  at  length, 
found  himself  so  much  in  debt,  that  he  was  obliged 
to  sell  one-half  of  his  place  to  pay  up.  The  rest  he 
let  out  to  a  farmer,  for  several  years..  Towards  the 
end  of  that  time,  the  farmer,  on  coming  to  pay  his 


52  EXAMPLES    OF   INDUSTRY. 

rent,  asked  him  whether  he  would  sell  his  farm 
The  gentleman  was  surprised,  that  the  farmer  should 
be  able  to  make  him  an  offer  for  his  place.  "  Pray, 
tell  me,"  said  he,  "how  it  happens  that,  while  I 
could  not  live  upon  twice  as  much  land,  for  which  I 
paid  no  rent,  you  are  regularly  paying  me  five  hun- 
dred dollars  a  year  for  the  farm,  and  able  in  a  few 
years  to  purchase  it?"  "The  reason  is  plain,"  an- 
swered the  farmer;  "it  lies  in  the  difference  be- 
tween 'go'  and  'come.'"  "I  do  not  understand 
you,"  said  the  gentleman.  "I  mean,"  said  the 
farmer,  "that  you  sat  still  and- said, Go ;  I  get  up  and 
say,  Come.  You  lie  in  bed,  and  enjoy  your  ease ;  I 
rise  early  in  the  morning,  and  attend  to  my  busi- 
ness." In  other  words,  this  was  an  industrious 
man ;  there  was  no  love  of  idleness  about  him,  and 
this  led  to  his  success  in  life. 

I  remember  another  anecdote,  which  plainly  shows 
the  advantages  of  industry. 

There  was  once  a  young  man  who  was  commenc 
ing  life  as  a  clerk.  One  day  his  employer  said  to 
him,  "Now,  to-morrow,  that  cargo  of  cotton  must 
be  got  out,  and  weighed,  aud  we  must  have  a  regu- 
lar account  of  it."  He  was  an  industrious  young 
man, — a  young  man  of  great  energy.  This  was  the 
first  time  he  had  been  intrusted  with  the  superin- 
tendence of  work  like  this.  He  made  his  arrange- 
ments the  night  before,  spoke  to  the  men  about 
their  carts  and  horses,  and  resolved  to  begin  very 
early  the  next  day.  He  instructed  the  laborers  to 
be  there  at  half-past  four  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
They  set   to   work,  aud  the  thing  was  done;  and 


THE   PROMPT    YOUNG    MAN.  53 

about  tec  or  eleven  o'clock  the  master  came  in,  and 
saw  the  young  man  sitting  in  the  counting-house, 
and  looked  very  black  at  him,  supposing  his  com- 
mands had  not  been  executed.  "I  thought,"  said 
he,  "  you  were  instructed  to  get  out  that  carp'  3  this 
morning?"  "It  is  all  done,  si  ,"  said  the  young 
man,  "and  here  is  the  account  of  it."  This  one 
act  made  that  young  man's  fortune.  It  fixed  his 
character.  It  gave  his  employer  a  confidence  in 
him  that  was  never  shaken.  He  found  him  to  be  a 
man  of  industry,  a  man  of  promptness,  and  he  very 
soon  found  that  he  was  one  that  could  not  be 
spared;  he  was  necessary  to  the  concerns  of  that 
establishment,  and  became  one  of  the  partners.  He 
was  a  religious  man,  and  went  through  a  life  of 
great  benevolence,  and  at  his  death-bed  was  able  to 
leave  his  children  an  ample  fortune.  His  industry 
made  him  a  Benjamin  indeed. 

And,  just  as  idle  boys  will  grow  up  to  be  idle 
men,  so  will  idle  girls  grow  up  to  be  idle  women. 
They  will  be  of  no  use  to  themselves,  and  of  no  use 
to  anybody  else.  But  those  who  form  early  habits 
of  industry  will  certainly  rise  to  honor,  usef  alness, 
and  happiness. 

Miss  Rachel  Cowe  was  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy 
man,  engaged  in  an  extensive  business.  He  lived 
in  Aberdeen,  Scotland.  But,  in  that  country,  the 
females  of  many  families  in  the  higher  ranks  of 
life,  as  well  as  those  in  middling  circumstances, 
were  instructed  in  some  branch  of  business  suited 
to  their  strength  and  capacity.     An  excellent  cus 


64  A    NOBLE    EXAMPLE    OF   FEMALE   INDUSTRY. 

torn ;  for,  whatever  ma}*  be  our  circumstances  to- 
day, we  know  not  what  they  may  be  to-morrow; 
riches  are  no  sure  dependence,  for  they  often  "take 
to  themselves  wings  and  fly  awTay." 

Rachel  Co  we  was  early  put  to  learn  a  branch  of 
the  millinery  business.  This  she  industriously  ac- 
quired, though  she  knew  not  that  she  should  ever 
need  it.  But,  after  a  while,  her  father's  business 
began  to  decline,  and  at  length  he  failed.  He  gave 
up  to  his  creditors  every  thing  but  their  wearing- 
apparel,  and  a  few  books.  Both  her  parents  were 
left  with  no  means  of  support,  in  their  old  age. 
There  was  no  one  now  but  herself,  on  whom  they 
could  depend.  When  Rachel  saw  the  decline  of 
her  father's  business,  she  obtained  his  consent  to  set 
up  her  own.  She  had  a  small  sum  of  money,  and 
she  borrowed  a  little  more,  of  a  friend,  to  begin  with. 
She  began  her  business,  praying  that  God  would 
prosper  it,  and  keep  her  from  the  new  temptations 
to  which  she  would  be  exposed.  She  was  successful. 
In  a  few  months  she  was  able  to  pay  what  she  had 
borrowed,  and  to  furnish  a  house  for  herself.  When 
her  father's  business  completely  failed,  and  her  pa- 
rents were  thrown  upon  the  world,  destitute  of  the 
means  of  support,  she  was  prepared  to  receive  them 
into  her  own  house.  She  supported  them  by  her 
labors,  she  nursed  them,  wTith  the  utmost  tenderness, 
iu  their  illness,,  she  attended  them  in  their  last  sick- 
ness, and  saw  them  die  in  the  hope  of  glory.  What 
a  child  of  comfort  was  this  industrious  girl  to  hei 
parents !  And  this  is  not  all.  While  they  lived,  she 
would  listen  to  no  proposals  of  marriage ;  but,  after 


THE   FOLLY    OF    PRIDE.  55 

tlieir  death,  she  became  the  wife  of  Rev.  Dr.  Milne, 
and  accompanied  him  on  his  mission  to  China, 
where  she  was  a  great  solace,  and  comfort  to  him, 
and  a  helper  to  him  in  his  labors.  Thus,  the  in- 
dustrious girl  became  the  industrious  woman ;  and 
I  would  have  you  all,  my  dear  girls,  to  follow  her 
example. 

Yes  ;  idleness  is  the  second  mark  of  a  Ben-oni. 

The  third  mark  of  a  Ben-oni  is  pride. 

Some  children  are  proud  of  their  clothes.  This 
is  very  silly  indeed ;  for  the  butterflies  have  much 
more  beautifm  clothes  than  we,  and  yet  they  are 
never  proud  of  their  dress.  Some  children  are 
proud  of  their  families.  This,  also,  is  very  silly,  for 
we  have  all  sprung,  at  first,  from  one  father.  Some 
children  are  proud  about  their  houses.  This,  too,  is 
very  silly,  for,  by-and-by,  they  will  all  crumble  into 
the  dust,  from  which  they  have  been  taken,  while 
the  grave  is  the  one  house  to  which  we  must  all 
come  at  last. 

Proud  children  feel  and  think  themselves  better 
than  others,  and  are  often  unwilling  to  engage  in 
honest  and  honorable  employments. 

Listen  to  what  I  am  going  to  tell  you. 

Chief-Justice  Marshall  was  a  great  man ;  but  great 
men  are  never  proud.  He  was  not  too  proud  to 
wait  upon  himself.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  going 
to  market  himself  and  carrying  home  his  purchases. 
Often  he  would  be  seen  returning,  at  sunrise,  with 
poultry  in  one  hand,  and  vegetables  in  the  other. 
On  one  of  these  occasions,  a  fashionable  young  man 
from  the  E"orth,  who  had  removed  to  Richmond* 


56        JUDGE  MARSHALL  AND  TnE  TURKEY. 

was  swearing  violently,  because  lie  could  find  no 
one  to  carry  home  his  turkey.  Judge  Marshall 
stepped  up,  and  asked  him  where  he  lived.  When 
he  heard,  he  said,  "  That  is  in  my  way,  and  I  will 
take  your  turkey  home  for  you."  When  they  came 
to  the  house,  the  young  man  inquired,  "  What  shall 
I  pay  you  ?"  "  Oh,  nothing,"  said  the  Judge  ;  "you 
are  welcome ;  it  was  all  in  the  way,  and  it  was  no 
trouble  to  me."  "Who  is  that  polite  old  gentleman 
who  brought  home  my  turkey  for  me?"  asked  the 
young  man  of  a  by-stander.  "Oh,"  sp'd  he,  "that 
was  Judge  Marshall,  Chief-Justice  jf  the  United 
States."  "Why  did  he  bring  home  my  turkey?" 
"He  did  it,"  uaid  the  by-stander,  "to  give  you  a 
rebuke,  and  teach  you  to  attend  to  your  own 
business." 

True  greatness,  never  feels  above  doing  any  thing 
that  is  useful ;  but  especially  the  truly  great  man 
will  never  feel  above  helping  himself;  his  own  in- 
dependence of  character  depends  upon  his  being 
able  to  help  himself.  The  great  Dr.  Franklin,  when 
he  first  established  himself  in  business,  in  Philadel- 
phia, wheeled  home  the  paper,  which  he  purchased 
for  his  printing-office,  upon  a  wheelbarrow  with  his 
own  hands. 

Pride,  then,  bear  in  mind,  children,  is  the  third 
mark  of  a  Ben-oni. 

The  fourth  and  only  other  mark  that  we  shall 
speak  of  is  disobedience. 

There  is  nothing  on  which  the  comfort  and  hap- 
piness of  parents,  and  families  depend  more,  than  on 
the  obedience  of  children. 


A   BOY   GOING   TO   SEA  TO   SPITE   HIS   PARENTS.  57 

My  dear  children,  if  you  want  to  plant  thorns  on 
the  pillows  of  your  parents,  and  plunge  daggers  into 
their  bosoms,  be  disobedient.  If  you  want  to  make 
them  as  uncomfortable  as  they  possibly  can  be,  in 
this  world,  then  be  disobedient.  This  is  the  chief 
mark  of  a  Ben-oni. 

I  remember  reading,  not  long  ago,  of  a  gentleman 
in  England  who  had  two  sons.  He  was  a  kind,  ex- 
cellent, pious  man,  and  did  every  thing  for  the  com- 
fort of  his  children,  that  he  thought  it  right  to  do. 
But  sometimes  the  boys  were  anxious  to  do  things 
which  their  parents  were  not  willing  that  they 
should  do.  One  Sunday,  the  oldest  boy  went  to  his 
father,  and  asked  permission  to  take  the  carriage, 
and  go  riding,  in  the  afternoon,  instead  of  going  to 
church. 

His  father  told  him  he  could  not,  because  it  would 
be  breaking  the  Sabbath.  The  boy  was  very  much 
displeased,  because  his  lather  would  not  let  him  go 
riding,  as  some  of  the  boys  in  the  neighborhood 
had  been  allowed  by  their  parents  to  do.  He  was 
so  wicked  about  this,  that  he  determined  no  longer 
to  stay  at  home,  because  his  father  would  not  let 
him  do  just  what  he  wanted.  So,  the  next  day,  he 
persuaded  his  brother  to  go  with  him,  and  they 
went  down  to  Portsmouth,  a  town  by  the  sea-side, 
intending  to  go  to  sea. 

Before  going,  however,  they  called  on  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Griffin,  to  assist  them  to  get  a  situation,  on  board  a 
man-of-war.  This  good  man,  perceiving  that  they 
were  not  accustomed  to  the  mode  of  life  in  which 
they  were  about  to  enter,  inquired  of  them  their 


58  THE   END   OF   HIS   COURSE. 

object  in  going  to  sea.  The  eldest  boy  frankly  told 
him.  they  were  going,  in  order  to  spite  their  parents! 
Then  he  told  him  the  story  of  what  hadvtaken  place 
at  home, — of  his  father's  unwillingness  to  allow  him 
to  ride  on  Sunday, — and  said  he  was  going  to  sea  in 
order  to  make  his  father  feel  sorry  for  refusing  to 
gratify  him.  The  good  clergyman  tried  to  show 
them  the  guilt,  and  folly,  of  the  course  they  were 
about  to  pursue,  and  to  set  before  them  the  un- 
avoidable consequences  that  would  result  from  it. 
The  younger  son  was  impressed  by  the  counsels,  and 
advice  of  the  clergyman,  and  went  home ;  but  the 
older  son  resolved  to  go  on,  in  his  evil  course. 

Some  twelve,  or  fifteen  years  after  this  had  taken 
place,  this  same  clergyman  was  called  to  the  prison 
in  the  town  of  Portsmouth,  to  see  a  sailor,  who  was 
condemned  to  be  executed,  and,  who  was  going  to 
be  hung  in  a  few  days. 

When  he  entered  the  cell  of  the  prison,  he  saw  a 
wretched,  miserable,  squalid-looking  creature,  sit- 
ting by  a  table  in  the  cell,  who  looked  up  to  him  as 
he  entered,  and  said,  "  Do  you  not  remember  me, 
sir?"  "No,"  said  the  clergyman;  "I  do  not  recol- 
lect that  I  ever  saw  you  before."  Then  the  poor 
man  recalled  to  him  the  story  of  the  boy  whe  went 
from  home  in  order  to  spite  his  parents.  "And  are 
you  the  miserable  man,"  said  the  clergyman,  "who 
did  this?"  "Yes,"  said  the  poor  culprit;  "I  fol- 
lowed out  my  own  plan ;  I  went  on  the  course 
which  I  had  chosen,  contrary  to  your  advice,  and  to 
my  own  convictions ;  I  plunged  into  all  sorts  of 
wickedness,  and  sin,  and  finally  became  involved  in 


THE    SEA-CAPTAIN'S    SON.  59 

a  robbery,  and  murder,  for  which  I  am  now  about  to 
suffer  the  penalty.  And  all  this,  in  consequence  of 
my  disobedience,  to  my  parents!"  The  clergyman 
wrote  to  the  father  of  this  unhappy  man,  who  came 
to  visit  his  son  in  his  last  hours,  and  who  had  the 
unspeakable  anguish  of  standing  by  and  seeing  him 
suffer  the  penalty  of  the  law,  and  reap  the  bitter 
fruits  of  his  disobedience. 

What  a  Ben-oni  that  son  was  to  his  father! 

I  have  another  story  to  tell  you,  of  a  disobedient 
son,  in  order  to  illustrate  the  point  on  which  we  are 
now  speaking. 

The  youth,  of  whom  I  am  about  to  speak,  was  the 
son  of  a  sea-captain.  His  father  had  been  absent 
froi.  home,  on  a  long  voyage.  During  his  absence, 
his  child  had  grown,  from  being  an  infant,  into  a 
rough  and  careless  boy.  He  was  becoming  restive, 
under  his  mother's  control ;  her  gentle  voice  no 
longer  restrained  him.  He  was  often  wilful,  and 
sometimes  disobedient.  He  thought  it  showed  a 
manly  superiority,  to  be  independent  of  a  mother's 
influence. 

About  this  time  his  fatter  came  home ;  and  it  was 
very  fortunate  that  he  did  return.  He  soon  per- 
ceived the  spirit  of  disobedience  that  was  stirring  in 
his  son.  The  boy  saw  that  it  displeased  his  father, 
although,  for  a  few  days,  he  said  nothing  about  it. 

One  afternoon,  in  October,  a  bright,  golden  day, 
the  father  told  his  son  to  get  his  hat  and  take  a 
walk  with  him.  They  turned  down  an  open  field,  a 
favorite  playground  for  the  children  in  the  neigh- 
borhood.     After    talking    cheerfully  on    different 


60  HOW    HE    WAS    SPOILED. 

topics  for  a  while,  (said  the  boy,  who  gives  this 
history  of  himself,)  my  father  asked  me  if  I  ob- 
served that  great  shadow,  thrown  by  a  huge  mass  of 
rock  that  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  field.  I  replied 
that  I  did.  "My  father  owned  that  land,"  said  he ; 
"it  was  my  playground  wdien  a  boy.  The  rock 
stood  there  then ;  to  me  it  is  a  beacon,  and,  when- 
ever I  look  at  it,  I  recall  a  dark  spot  in  my  life, — 
an  event  so  painful  to  dwell  upon,  that,  were  it  not 
as  a  warning  to  you,  I  should  not  speak  of  it. 
Listen,  then,  my  dear  boy,  and  learn  wisdom  from 
your  father's  experience. 

"  My  father  died  when  I  was  a  mere  child.  I  was 
the  only  son.  My  mother  wras  a  gentle,  loving  wo- 
man, devoted  to  her  children,  and  beloved  by  ex  c;ry- 
body. 

"I  remember  her  pale,  beautiful  face,  her  sweet, 
affectionate  smile,  her  kind  and  gentle  voice.  In 
my  childhood  I  loved  her  sincerely.  I  was  never 
happy  apart  from  her ;  and  she,  fearing  that  I  was 
becoming  too  much  of  a  child,  sent  me  to  a  high- 
school  in  the  village. 

"After  associating  for  a  time  with  rude,  rough  boys, 
I  lost,  in  a  measure,  my  fondness  for  home,  and  my 
reverence  for  my  mother ;  and  it  became  more  and 
more  difficult  for  her  to  restrain  my  impetuous  na- 
ture. I  thought  it  indicated  a  want  of  manliness  to 
yield  to  her  control,  or  to  appear  penitent,  although 
I  knew  that  my  conduct  pained  her. 

"  The  epithet  I  most  feared  was  girl-boy.  I  could 
not  bear  to  hear  it  said,  by  my  pla}Tmates,  that  I  was 
'tied  to  m}-  mother's  apron-strings.' 


THE   PAINFUL    MEMORY.  61 

44  From  a  quiet,  home-loving  child,  I  became  a 
wild,  boisterous  boy. 

"My  mother  was  very  anxious  to  induce  me  to 
seek  happiness  within  the  precincts  of  home.  She 
exerted  herself  to  make  our  fireside  attractive  ;  and 
my  sister,  following  her  self-sacrificing  example, 
sought  to  entice  me,  by  planning  games,  and  diver- 
sions, for  my  amusement  and  entertainment.  I  saw 
all  this,  but  did  not  heed  it,  until  it  was  too  late. 

"  It  was  on  an  afternoon  like  this,  as  I  was  about 
leaving  the  dining-table  to  spend  the  intermission 
between  morning  and  evening  school,  in  the  street, 
as  usual,  my  mother  laid  her  hand  on  my  shoulder 
and  said,  mildly,  but  firmly,  '  My  son,  I  wish  you  to 
come  with  me.' 

"I  would  have  rebelled,  but  something  in  her 
manner  awed  me. 

"She  put  on  her  bonnet  and  said  to  me,  '¥e  will 
take  a  little  walk  together.'  I  followed  her  in 
silence,  and,  as  I  was  passing  out  of  the  door,  I  ob- 
served one  of  my  rude  companions,  skulking  about 
the  house,  and  I  knew  he  was  waiting  for  me.  He 
sneered  as  I  passed  by  him.  My  pride  was  wounded 
to  the  quick.  He  was  a  very  bad  boy,  and,  being 
some  years  older  than  myself,  he  exercised  a  great 
influence  over  me. 

"I  followed  my  mother,  sulkily,  till  we  reached 
the  spot  where  we  now  stand,  beneath  the  shadow 
of  this  huge  rock. 

"  Oh,  my  boy,  could  that  hour  be  blotted  from  my 
memory,  which  has  cast  a  dark  shadow  over  my 
wnole  life,  g'aclly  would   I  exchange  all   that  the 


62  REBELLION    CHERISHED. 

world  can  offer  me  for  the  quiet  peace  of  mind  I 
should  enjoy!  But  no!  Like  this  huge,  unsightly 
pile,  stands  the  monument  of  my  guilt  forever. 

"  My  mother,  being  in  feeble  health,  sat  down,  and 
beckoned  me  to  sit  down  beside  her.  Her  look,  so 
full  of  tender  sorrow,  is  present  to  me  now. 

"  I  would  not  sit,  but  still  continued  standing  be- 
side her. 

"* Alfred,  my  dear  son,'  she  said,  'have  you  lost 
all  your  love  for  your  mother?' 

"  I  did  not  reply. 

"'I  fear  you  have,'  she  continued;  'and  may  God 
help  you  to  see  your  own  heart,  and  me  to  do  my 
duty!' 

"  She  then  talked  to  me  of  my  misdeeds, — of  the 
dreadful  consequences  of  the  course  I  was  pursuing. 
By  tears,  and  entreaties,  and  prayers,  she  tried  to 
make  an  impression  upon  me.  She  placed  before 
me  the  lives  and  examples  of  great  and  good  men. 
She  sought  to  stimulate  my  ambition. 

"  I  was  moved,  but  too  proud  to  show  it,  and  re- 
mained standing  in  dogged  silence  beside  her.  I 
thought,  What  will  my  companions  say  if,  after  all 
my  boasting,  I  should  yield  at  last,  and  submit  to 
be  led  by  a  woman  ? 

"  What  agony  was  in  my  mother's  face  when  she 
saw  that  all  she  had  said,  and  suffered,  failed  to 
move  me ! 

"  She  rose  to  go  home,  and  I  followed  at  a  dis- 
tance. She  spoke  no  more  to  me  until  we  reached 
our  own  door. 

'"It  is  school-time  now/  she  said;  'go,  my  son, 


REBELLION    ACTED    OUT.  63 

and  once  more  let  me  beseech  you  to  think  upon 
what  I  have  said.' 

"'I  sha'n't  go  to  school/  said  I. 

"  She  looked  astonished  at  my  boldness,  but  re- 
plied, firmly, — 

'"Certainly  you  will  go,  Alfred;  I  command 
you.' 

"'I  will  not,'  said  I,  with  a  tone  of  defiance. 

" '  One  of  two  things  you  must  do,  Alfred.  Either 
go  to  school  this  moment,  or  I  will  lock  you  up  in 
your  room,  and  keep  you  there  until  you  are  ready 
to  promise  obedience  to  my  wishes.' 

'"I  dare  you  to  do  it,'  said  I;  'you  can't  get  me 
up-stairs.' 

"'Alfred,  choose,  now,'  said  my  mother,  who  laid 
her  hand  on  my  arm.  She  trembled  violently,  and 
was  deadly  pale. 

"'If  you  touch  me,  I  will  kick  you!'  said  I,  in  a 
terrible  rage. 

" '  Will  you  go,  Alfred  ?' 

"'No,'  replied  I,  but  quailed  beneath  her  glance. 

"'Then  follow  me,'  said  she,  as  she  grasped  my 
arm  firmly. 

"I  raised  my  foot — oh,  my  boy,  hear  me!  — 
I  raised  my  foot,  and  kicked  her, —  my  sainted 
mother ! 

"Oh,  my  head  reels  as  the  torrent  of  memory 
rushes  over  me  !  I  kicked  my  mother, —  a  feeble 
woman, — my  mother  ! 

"She  staggered  back  a  few  steps,  and  leaned 
against  the  wall.  She  did  not  look  at  me.  I  saw 
aer  heart  beat  against  her  breast. 


64  THE   INWARD    STRUGGLE. 

"'Oh,  heavenly  Father,'  she  cried,  'forgive  him! 
he  knows  not  what  he  does  !' 

"The  gardener  just  then  passing  the  door,  and 
seeing  my  mother  pale,  and  almost  unable  to  sup- 
port herself,  he  stopped.     She  beckoned  him  in. 

"'Take  this  boy  up-stairs,  and  lock  him  in  his 
own  room,'  she  said,  and  turned  from  me. 

"Looking  back  as  she  was  entering  her  own 
room,  she  gave  me  such  a  look ! — it  will  forever  fol- 
low me.  It  was  a  look  of  agony,  mingled  with  the 
deepest  love.  It  was  the  last  unutterable  pang  from 
a  heart  that  was  broken. 

"In  a  moment  I  found  myself  a  prisoner,  in  my 
own  room.  I  thought,  for  a  moment,  I  would  fling 
myself  out  of  the  window  and  dash  my  brains  out ; 
but  I  felt  afraid  to  die.  I  was  not  penitent.  At 
times  my  heart  was  subdued,  but  my  stubborn  pride 
rose  in  an  instant  and  bade  me  not  to  yield.  The 
pale  face  of  my  mother  haunted  me.  I  flung  my- 
self on  my  bed  and  fell  asleep.  I  awoke  at  mid- 
night, suffering  with  the  damp  night-air,  and  terri- 
fied with  frightful  dreams.  I  would  have  sought  my 
mother  at  that  moment,  for  I  trembled  with  fear; 
but  my  door  was  fast. 

"With  the  daylight  my  terrors  were  dissipated, 
and  I  became  bold  in  resisting  all  good  impulses. 
The  servant  brought  my  meals,  but  I  did  not  taste 
them.     I  thought  the  day  would  never  end. 

"Just  at  twilight  I  heard  a  light"  footstep  ap- 
proach the  door.  It  was  my  sister,  who  called  mo 
by  name 

" '  What  may  I  tell  mother  for  you  ?'  she  asked. 


THE    STRUGGLE    CONTINUED.  65 

"Nothing,'  I  replied. 

"'  Oh,  Alfred,  for  my  sake,  and  for  all  our  sakes, 
Bay  that  yon  are  sorry;  she  longs  to  forgive  you.' 

" '  I  won't  be  driven  to  school  against  my  will,'  I 
replied. 

"'But  you  will  go  if  mother  wishes  it,  dear 
Alfred  V  my  sister  said,  pleadingly. 

"'No,  I  won't,'  said  I;  'and  you  needn't  say  an- 
other word  about  it.' 

" '  Oh,  brother,  you  will  kill  her !  you  will  kill 
her!  and  then,  you  can  never  have  a  happy  mo- 
ment!' 

"I  made  no  reply  to  this.  My  feelings  were 
touched,  but  I  still  resisted  their  influence.  My 
sister  called  me,  but  I  would  not  answer.  I  heard 
her  footsteps  slowly  retreating,  and  again  I  flung 
myself  upon  my  bed,  and  passed  another  wretched 
and  fearful  night.  Oh,  God,  how  wretched  —  how 
fearful — I  did  not  know ! 

"Anothei  footstep,  slower  and  feebler  than  my 
sister's,  disturbed  me.  A  voice  called  my  name.  It 
was  my  mother's. 

"'Alfred,  my  son,  shall  I  come  in?  Are  you 
sorry  for  what  you  have  done  ?'  she  asked. 

"I  cannot  tell  what  influence,  operating  at  that 
time,  made  me  speak  adverse -to  my  feelings. 

"The  gentle  voice  of  my  mother,  that  thrilled 
through  me,  melted  the  ice  from  my  obdurate  heart, 
and  I  longed  to  throw  myself  upon  her  neck ;  but  I 
did  not.  No,  my  boy,  I  did  not!  But  my  words 
gave  the  lie  to  my  heart,  when  I  said  I  was  not 
sorrv . 


66  THE    MURDERED    MOTHER. 

"I  heard  her  withdraw.  I  heard  her  groan.  I 
longed  to  call  her  back,  but  I  did  not. 

"  I  was  awakened,  from  an  uneasy'  slumber,  by 
hearing  my  name  called  loudly,  and  my  sister  stood 
by  my  bedside. 

" i  Get  up,  Alfred ;  oh,  do  not  wait  a  moment ! 
Get  up  and  come  with  me  ;  mother  is  dying  !' 

"I  thought  I  was  dreaming,  but  I  got  up  me- 
chanically, and  followed  my  sister. 

"On  the  bed,  pale  and  cold  as  marble,  lay  my 
mother.  She  had  not  undressed.  She  had  thrown 
herself  on  the  bed  to  rest.  Rising  to  go  again  to 
me,  she  was  seized  with  a  palpitation  of  the  heart, 
and  borne  senseless  to  her  room. 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  my  agony,  as  I  looked  upon 
her.  My  remorse  was  tenfold  more  bitter  from  the 
thought  that  she  would  never  know  it.  I  believed 
myself  to  be  a  murderer.  I  fell  on  the  bed  beside 
her.  I  could  not  weep.  My  heart  burned  in  my 
bosom ;  my  brain  was  all  on  fire.  My  sister  threw 
her  arms  around  me  and  wept  in  silence.  Suddenly, 
we  saw  a  slight  motion  of  mother's  hand.  Her  eyes 
unclosed.  She  had  recovered  consciousness,  but  not 
speech.  She  looked  at  me,  and  moved  her  lips ;  I 
could  not  understand  her  vrords. 

" 'My  mother,'  I  shrieked,  'say  only  that  you  for- 
give me !' 

"  She  could  not  say  it  with  her  lips,  but  her  hands 
pressed  mine.  She  smiled  upon  me ;  and,  lifting 
her  thin  white  hands,  clasped  my  own  within  them, 
and  cast  her  eyes  upward.  She  moved  her  lips  in 
prayer,  and  thus  she  died. 


WHAT    THE    STORY    TEACHES.  61 

l*  I  remained  still  kneeling  before  that  dear  form 
till  my  gentle  sister  removed  me.  She  comforted 
me,  for  she  knew  the  heavy  load  of  sorrow  at  my 
heart, — heavier  than  grief  at  the  loss  of  a  mother, 
for  it  was  a  load  of  sorrow  for  sin. 

"  The  joy  of  youth  had  left  me  forever." 

My  father  ceased  speaking,  and  buried  his  face 
in  his  hands.  He  saw,  and  felt  the  bearing  of  his 
narrative  upon  my  character  and  conduct. 

I  have  never  forgotten  it ;  and  I  would  say  to  boys 
who  spurn  a  mother's  control,  who  are  ashamed  to 
own  that  they  are  wrong,  who  think  it  manly  to 
resist  her  authority,  or  to  yield  to  her  influence : — 
"  Beware  !  Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  bitter  memo- 
ries for  your  future  years." 

That  was  a  Ben-oni  indeed, — a  child  of  sorrow  to 
his  parent,  to  his  sister,  and  to  all  around  him.  His 
disobedience  made  him  such. 

Let  us  look,  now,  at  one  or  two  examples  of  an 
opposite  character. 

William  Hale  was  an  obedient  son.  He  was 
spending  some  time  with  his  mother  at  the  Saratoga 
Springs,  and  had  become  acquainted  with  a  number 
of  boys  of  his  own  age  there. 

One  clay  some  half-dozen  of  the  children  were 
playing  on  the  piazza,  and  one  of  them  was  heard 
exclaiming, — 

"  Oh,  yes,  that's  capital !  So  we  will ;  come  on, 
now!  Where's  WiMiam  Hale?  Come  on,  Will!  We 
are  going  to  have  a  ride  on  the  circular  railroad. 
Come  with  us." 


68  AN   EXAMPLE   OF   TRUE   COURAGE. 

"Yes,  if  my  mother  is  willing,"  said  William. 
"I  will  run  and  ask  her." 

"Ah,  ah!  so  you  must  run  and  ask  your  ma! — 
great  bahy-boy ! — run  along  to  your  ma !  Ain't  you 
ashamed  ?" 

"I  don't  ask  my  mother,"  said  one. 

"Neither  do  I,"  said  another. 

"Neither  do  I,"  said  a  third. 

"Be  a  man,  "Will,  and  come  along,"  said  the  first 
boy,  "if  you  don't  wish  to  be  called  a  coward  as 
long  as  you  live  ;  don't  you  see  we  are  all  waiting  ?" 

William  was  standing,  with  one  foot  advanced 
and  his  hand  firmly  clenched,  in  the  midst  of  the 
group.  His  brow  was  flushed,  his  eye  was  flashing, 
his  lip  was  compressed,  his  cheek  was  changing — 
all  showing  how  the  epithet,  "coward,"  rankled  in 
his  bosom. 

It  was  doubtful  for  a  moment  whether  he  would 
have  the  true  bravery  to  be  called  a  coward  rather 
than  to  do  wrong ;  but,  with  a  voice  trembling  with 
emotion,  he  replied, — 

"I  will  not  go  without  I  ask  my  mother;  and  I 
am  no  coward,  either.  I  promised  her  I  would  not 
go  from  the  house  without  her  permission ;  and  I 
should  be  a  base  coward  if  I  were  to  tell  my  mother 
a  lie." 

When  William  returned  to  his  mother,  to  ask  her 
permission  to  go,  and  told  her  of  what  had  taken 
place,  she  threw  her  arms  around  his  neck  and 
exclaimed, —    • 

"God  bless  you,  my  dear  child,  and  give  you 
grace  always  to  act  in  this  way." 


THE    SECRET    OF    WASHINGTON'S    GREATNESS.  69 

Ah,  my  dear  children,  he  was  a  Benjamin — a  child 
of  comfort — to  his  dear  mother;  and  doubtless  he 
grew  up  to  be  her  support,  and  comfort  all  his 
days. 

After  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis,  and  the  victory 
achieved  by  the  American  arms,  George  "Washing- 
ton, when  the  war  was  over,  returned  in  triumph  to 
his  mother's  home.  Everybody  was  honoring  him, 
and  praising  him,  as  the  saviour  of  his  country,  and 
the  greatest  man  of  the  age.  When  he  reached  the 
place  of  his  mother's  abode,  a  large  concourse  of 
the  people  had  met,  to  greet  him,  and  welcome  him 
to  his  home.  In  the  centre  of  the  assembled  crowd 
stood  his  mother;  and,  pushing  his  way  through 
the  crowd  around  him,  he  hastened  to  pay  her  his 
respects ;  and,  as  she  threw  her  arms  around  his 
neck,  and  kissed  him,  she  said  to  some  who  were 
congratulating  her  upon  having  so  noble  a  son, — 

"George  always  was  an  obedient  child." 

He  was  indeed  a  Benjamin — a  son  of  comfort — to 
his  mother,  and  a  blessing  to  the  country,  and  to 
the  world;  and  the  spirit  of  obedience,  early  learned, 
and  early  practised,  was  that  which  went  to  make 
him  what  he  was. 

And  now,  in  conclusion,  my  dear  children,  let  me 
ask  you,  Which,  of  these  two,  do  you  desire  to  be  ? 
Will  you  be  Ben-onies — children  of  sorrow  and  grief 
— to  your  parents  ?  or,  will  you  be  Benjamins — chil- 
dren of  joy,  and  comfort,  and  blessing — to  them  ? 
If  you  would  be  the  latter, — Benjamins  indeed, — 
then  you  must  watch,  and  strive,  and  pray  against 
all  the   evils   of   which   we   have   been    speaking 


70  FOUR    THINGS    TO    WATCII   AGAINST. 

Watch  against  these  four  marks  of  a  Ben-oni: — 
watch  against  ill-temper,  watch  against  idleness,  watch 
against  pride,  watch  against  disobedience;  and  pray 
God  to  enable  you  each  to  overcome  all  these  evils, 
— to  erase  these  marks  of  a  Ben-oni  as  they  are  be- 
ginning to  fasten  themselves  on  your  character,  and 
to  earn  for  yourself  the  character  of  a  Benjamin 
indeed. 


T1IE   CROOKED  THINGS  STRAIGHTENED. 

Ecclesiastes  i.  15  :   That  ichicli  is  crooked  cannot  be  mad*, 
straight. 

This  does  not  mean  that  no  crooked  thins:  can 
ever  be  straightened,  for  we  all  know,  very  well,  that 
this  is  not  true.  It  is  easy  enough  to  straighten  some 
crooked  things.  Here,  for  instance,  is  a  piece  of 
paper.  I  can  take  it  in  my  hand,  and  squeeze  and 
crumple  it  all  up,  till  there  is  not  one  straight  piece 
in  it,  as  big  as  your  little-finger  nail.  And  then  I 
can  spread  it  out  on  the  table,  and  smooth  it  down, 
and  make  it  just  as  straight  again  as  ever  it  was 
Or  here  is  a  piece  of  dough,  or  a  bit  of  clay.  I  can 
roll  it  out,  and  twist  it  round,  till  it  is  as  crooked  as 
a  ram's  horn.  ~Now,  if  I  put  it  into  the  oven,  and 
bake  it,  while  it  is  in  this  state,  why,  then  our  text 
will  apply  to  it,  and  "that  which  is  crooked  cannot 
be  made  straight."  But  before  it  gets  thus  hard- 
ened, I  can  take  and  roll  it  out,  between  the  palms 
of  my  hands,  and  make  it  as  smooth,  and  straight  as 
I  want  it  to  be.  And  just  so  if  I  take  a  tender  wil- 
low-twig, I  can  wind  it  round  my  linger  like  a 
thread ;  then  I  can  unwind  it  again,  and  it  will 
come  out  as  straight  as  ever.  But  let  that  willow- 
twig  remain  crooked,  while  it  is  growing,  for  five  or 
ten  years,  and  then  you  may  write  on  it  the  words 
of  our  text;  for  "that  which  is  crooked  cannot  be 

71 


iZ  ALL  BORN  WITH  CROOKED  HEARTS. 

made  straight."  Now,  God  compares  himself,  in  the 
Bible,  to  a  potter,  and  his  people  to  clay.  God  com- 
pares himself  to  a  gardener,  and  his  people  to  plants 
or  trees,  which  he  has  planted.  And  as  it  is  true  cf 
clay  and  of  trees,  that  if  you  begin  at  the  right  time, 
and  take  proper  pains,  you  can  straighten  what  is 
crooked  in  them,  so  it  is  true  of  boys  and  girls. 
And  as  it  is  true  of  clay,  and  trees,  that  if  you  let 
the  one  get  baked,  or  the  other  grow  old,  while  it  is 
crooked,  you  cannot  straighten  it,  just  so  it  is  true 
of  boys  and  girls.  How  very  important,  then,  it  is, 
for  us  to  know  what  there  is  crooked  about  our- 
selves, and  how  we  may  get  it  straightened !  I  have 
chosen  this  text  on  purpose  to  help  us  understand 
this  matter.  And  there  are  four  things  which  I  wish 
especially  to  show  you,  while  talking  about  these 
words  of  Solomon. 

The  first  thing  I  wish  to  shoio  is,  that  ice  are  all  born 
with  crooked  hearts. 

What  sort  of  hearts  are  we  born  with  ?  Crooked 
hearts.  But  some  of  you  may  be  ready  to  ask, 
Well,  wThat  sort  of  a  heart  is  a  crooked  heart  ?  Why, 
a  crooked  heart  is  a  wicked  or  sinful  heart.  I  say, 
then,  we  are  all  born  with  sinful  or  wicked  hearts. 
Now,  a  great  many  people  don't  believe  this;  but  it 
is  just  as  true  as  that  two  and  two  make  four.  I 
can  prove  this  to  you,  my  dear  children,  in  two 
ways.  I  can  prove  it  from  the  Bible,  and  then  I  can 
prove  it  without  the  Bible. 

Now,  I  might  point  you  to  a  good  many  places  in 
the  Bible  which  prove  that  wTe  are  born  with  sinful 
hearts;  but  I  will  only  point  you  to  two.     In  the 


BIBLE-PROOFS    OF    CROOKED    HEARTS.  73 

fifty-first  Psalm  and  fifth  verse,  David  tells  us  that  he 
was  horn  a  sinner.  But  David  was  born  just  as  you 
and  I,  and  all  of  us  were.  His  heart  or  nature,  was 
just  the  same,  at  his  birth,  as  ours  is.  And  if  some 
of  you  think  that,  perhaps,  David  was  born  with  a 
heart  more  crooked,  or  sinful  than  other  people,  and 
that,  perhaps,  some  children  are  born  with  a  heart 
that  is  not  at  all  sinful,  I  can  show  you,  from  another 
passage  of  Scripture,  that  this  is  not  the  case.  The 
apostle  Paul  tells  us  in  Ephesians,  second  chapter, 
and  third  verse,  that  "we  are  all,  by  nature,  the  chil- 
dren of  wrath."  Now,  when  he  tells  us  here,  what  we 
are  "by  nature,"  he  means  what  we  are  at  the  time 
we  are  born.  And  when  he  says  we  are  "  the  chil- 
dren of  wrath,"  he  means  that  we  are  born  children 
with  whom  God  is  angry.  But  God  is  never  angry 
with  people  for  any  thing  but  for  sin.  And  if  God  is 
angry  with  us  when  we  are  born,  then  it  is  very  cer- 
tain that  we  must  be  born  sinners.  This  is  enough, 
then,  to  prove,  from  the  Bible,  that  we  are  all  born 
with  crooked,  sinful  hearts. 

But,  then,  I  said  we  can  prove  this  without  the 
Bible;  and  so  we  can.  Now,  there  are  two  things, 
about  children,  which  show  that  they  are  born  with 
crooked,  sinful  hearts,  even  if  the  Bible  had  never 
said  any  thing  about  it.  Tlie  sufferings,  and  death  of 
children  prove  it;  and  the  way  in  which  children  grow 
up  proves  it. 

See ;  here  is  a  cradle  with  a  clear  little  infant  in  it, 
fast  asleep.  Look  at  its  little  dimpled  chin,  its  rosy, 
rounded,  cheeks,  its  ruby  lips,  and  golden  locks. 
How  sweet,  how  beautiful,  how  like  a  little  cherub 


74  PROOFS    WITHOUT    THE   BIBLE. 

it  seems !  As  we  stand  and  gaze  upon  it,  admiring 
its  loveliness,  and  feeling  tempted  to  stoop  down 
and  kiss  the  little  darling,  we  are  tempted  to  ask 
ourselves,  Can  there  be  any  thing  crooked  or  sinful 
in  this  sweet,  sleeping  child?  But  see;  while  we 
are  looking  at  it,  a  change  passes  over  the  smiling 
face  of  the  baby.  An  expression  of  pain  appears 
upon  it.  It  starts  up  with  a  sharp,  piercing  cry.  It 
rolls  about  in  agony.  Its  screams  fill  the  house. 
Convulsions  have  taken  it.  Nothing  that  its  anxious 
mother  can  do  affords  it  any  relief.  It  struggles,  for 
a  few  short  hours,  with  the  painful  disease,  and  then 
it  dies.  But  suffering,  and  death  never  come  where 
there  is  no  sin.  Do  the  angels  in  heaven  ever  get 
sick  ?  Oh,  no.  Did  an  angel  ever  die  ?  No.  Are 
there  any  graveyards  in  heaven  ?  None  at  all.  But 
why  not  ?  Why  is  there  no  sickness,  or  suffering, 
or  death,  among  the  angels  ?  Because  there  is  no- 
thing crooked,  nothing  sinful,  about  them.  And 
why  do  infants  sicken,  and  suffer,  and  die  ?  Because 
they  are  born  with  crooked,  sinful  hearts.  Yes,  my 
dear  children,  every  time  you  hear  an  infant  cry, 
you  hear  an  argument  which  proves  that  we  are  all 
born  sinners.  Every  time  you  see  an  infant's  cof- 
fin, an  infant's  funeral,  or  an  infant's  grave,  you  see 
a  certain  proof,  that  we  are  all  born  sinners.  The 
sufferings,  and  death  of  children  prove  it,  without 
the  Bible. 

And  then  the  way  in  which  children  grow  up  proves  it 
also.  All  children  grow  up  to  be  bad,  if  they  are 
left  to  themselves.  Since  the  world  began,  there 
never  was  a  child  born,  and  left  to  grow  up  as  it 


TREES    KNOWN   BY   THEIR   FRUITS.  75 

pieced,  that  grew  up  to  love  and  serve  God.  Now, 
this  proves  something  or  other,  and  it  is  very  easy 
to  tell  what  it  proves.  If  you  go  into  a  garden  and 
see  the  sweet-smelling  mignionette  growing  around 
one  of  the  beds,  what  kind  of  seed,  do  you  know, 
must  have  been  sowed  there?  Mignionette-seed. 
If  you  pluck  a  sweet,  juicy  apple  from  a  tree,  what 
sort  of  a  tree  must  it  be,  from  which  you  plucked  it? 
A  sweet  apple-tree.  If  you  pluck  an  apple  from 
another  tree,  and  find  it  to  be  a  sour,  crab-apple, 
what  kind  of  a  tree  must  that  be,  on  which  it  grew  ? 
A  crab-apple-tree.  How  do  you  know  this?  By  its 
fruit.  Do  apples,  or  peaches  ever  grow  on  thorn- 
bushes  ?  No.  If  the  berries  that  grow  upon  a  cer- 
tain bush,  or  the  fruit  on  a  certain  tree,  are  always 
poisonous,  what  sort  of  a  bush,  or  tree  must  that 
be?  Poisonous.  Now,  our  actions  may  be  com- 
pared to  fruit,  and  our  hearts  to  the  trees,  on  which 
they  grow.  And  if  we  find  that,  in  all  countries  and 
in  all  ages,  children,  left  to  themselves,  grow  up  only 
to  bear  evil  fruit, — the  fruit  of  opposition  to  God's 
law,  and  hatred  to  God's  character, — what  must  their 
hearts  be,  which  bring  forth  these  wicked  fruits  ? 
They  must  be  wicked  hearts.  For  as  the  tree  is 
known  by  its  fruit,  so  is  the  heart  known  by  the 
actions  which  it  leads  men  to  perform.  And,  in 
this  way,  we  can  prove,  both  from  the  Bible,  and 
without  the  Bible,  that  we  are  all  born  with  crooked 
or  sinful  hearts. 

This  is  the  first  of  the  four  things  I  wish  to  show 
you,  while  talking  about  our  text. 

And  now  we  come  to  the  second  of  these  things, 


76  DIFFERENT    KIND    OF    SCHOOLS. 

It  is  this : — that,  like  the  tree,  or  the  clay,  oar  hearth  are 
having  something  done  to  them,  which  will  make  it  much 
harder  to  straighten  what  is  crooked  in  them.  "With  the 
tree,  it  is  its  growth  that  will  make  its  crookedness 
hard  to  straighten.  With  the  clay,  it  is  the  baking, 
or  burning  of  it.  With  ourselves,  it  is  the  exercis- 
ing or  practising  of  what  is  sinful,  in  our  hearts,  that 
will  make  it  hard  to  straighten  them.  There  is  a 
kind  of  education  for  our  hearts  to  go  through. 
When  we  are  acquiring  learning,  of  any  kind,  we 
call  it  getting  an  education.  And  the  places  where 
we  learn  things  we  call  schools.  And  there  are  a 
great  many  different  kinds  of  schools.  There  are 
the  common  schools,  where  we  learn  the  things  ne- 
cessary to  make  us  useful  in  life.  And  there  are 
medical  schools,  where  young  men  go  to  learn  to 
become  doctors;  and  law  schools,  where  they  learn 
to  become  lawTyers  ;  and  divinity  schools,  where  they 
learn  to  become  ministers.  And  then  the  shops,  in 
which  the  mechanics  learn  their  trades,  are  a  kind 
of  school.  The  carpenter's  shop  is  a  school  to  him; 
and  so  is  the  blacksmith's  shop,  and  the  tailor's 
shop,  a  school.  Wherever  we  learn  to  think,  or  say, 
or  do  any  thing,  that  is  a  school  to  us.  Now,  a 
great  many  children  never  go  to  school  anywhere 
but  on  the  playground,  and  at  the  corners  of  the 
streets.  There  they  learn  to  do  wicked  things.  All 
that  is  crooked  in  their  hearts  becomes  fixed  in  their 
crookedness.  There,  the  crooked  parts  of  their  na- 
ture get  educated.  There,  the  little  twigs  of  evil,  in 
them,  grow  into  great,  strong  limbs,  that  nobody  can 
bend.     There,  the  clay  of  their  nature  gets  baked, 


THE  CROOKED  TREE. 


Rills. 


p.  77. 


THE    CROOKED    TREE.  77 

and  hardened,  before  it  is  straightened.  The  habits 
we  form,  and  the  characters  we  acquire,  while  we  are 
young,  will  remain  with  us,  when  we  grow  up  to  be 
men  and  women.  And  so  the  habits,  and  characters, 
we  form  in  this  world,  will  remain  with  us  after 
death,  in  the  world  which  we  must  enter  then. 
This  world  is  God's  school.  All  the  time  spent  in 
it  is  time  spent  at  school.  We  are  getting  educated, 
here,  for  eternity.  And  when  we  form  a  wrong  habit 
of  thinking,  or  feeling,  or  acting,  we  are  hardening 
a  crooked  point,  and  fastening  it  upon  our  charac- 
ters. And  when  we  go  out  of  the  school  of  life, — 
that  is,  when  we  come  to  die,  and  go  into  eternity, — 
then  it  will  be  true  that,  "that  which  is  crooked 
cannot  be  made  straight."  If  the  potter  is  making 
a  pitcher,  and  finds  that  the  handle,  or  side  of  it,  has 
got  out  of  shape,  and  crooked,  he  can  very  easily 
alter  it,  and  make  it  straight  again,  if  he  only  finds 
it  out  before  it  has  been  put  into  the  oven,  and 
baked.  But,  if  he  does  not  see  it  till  after  it  comes 
out  of  the  oven,  then,  there  is  no  help  for  it.  How- 
ever strangely  out  of  shape,  it  may  be,  it  must  re- 
main so.  Then,  he  knows  that,  "that  which  is 
crooked  cannot  be  made  straight."  And  so  it  is 
with  the  gardener,  and  his  trees.  While  they  are 
young,  and  tender,  it  is  very  easy  to  straighten  them, 
when  they  get  crooked.  But,  let  them  only  grow 
crooked,  and  then  what  can  he  do  with  them?  One 
of  the  crookedest  trees,  I  ever  saw,  stands  in  Spruce 
Street,  just  below  Fifth  Street,  on  the  north  side, 
opposite  the  Baptist  church.  If  you  have  never  no- 
ticed it  it  is  quite  worth  while  to  go  by  that  way,  on 


78  THE    GARDENER    STRAIGHTENING    HIS    TWIGS. 

purpose  to  take  a  look  at  it.  Its  branches  grow  east, 
and  west,  and  north,  and  south,  and  up,  and  down, 
and  in  every  possible  direction.  Yet,  there  was  a 
time  when  all  those  crooked-looking  branches  might 
have  been  unbended,  and  made  to  grow,  almost,  as 
straight  as  a  yardstick.  But  who  can  make  them 
so  now?  All  the  people  in  the  world  could  not  do 
it.  They  might  cut  the  tree  down,  and  break  its 
branches  in  pieces,  but  that  is  all  they  could  do.  A 
tree  like  that  shows  us,  exactly,  what  Solomon  meant 
when  he  said,  "That  which  is  crooked  cannot  be 
made  straight." 

And  now,  we  come  to  the  third  thing,  we  wish  to  speak 
of,  in  connection  with  our  text ;  and  that  is,  the  importance 
of  keeping  straight,  while  ice  are  getting  educated.  Did 
you  ever  know  a  person  wdio  had  charge  of  a  nursery 
of  young  trees  ?  If  you  did,  you  might  learn  some 
very  useful  lessons  from  his  example.  The  great 
object,  with  him,  is  to  keep  his  trees  in  proper  shape, 
while  they  are  growing.  lie  walks  about  among 
them,  very  often,  and  watches  them  closely.  If  he 
sees  one  getting  crooked,  he  tries  to  straighten  it. 
If  merely  bmding  it,  with  his  hands,  will  not  keep 
it  straight,  then  he  puts  a  stake  in  the  ground,  and 
ties  the  young  tree  to  it,  so  as  to  keep  it  in  a  right 
position,  all  the  time  it  is  growing.  And  if  the  gar- 
dener thinks  it  worth  his  while  to  take  so  much 
care,  and  pains  wTith  the  education  of  a  mere  tree, 
which,  after  all,  will  only  last  for  a  few  years,  how 
much  more  careful  should  we  be  in  educating  our 
souls,  which  are  to  live  forever  and  ever ! 

Did  you  ever  go  to  a  daguerreotype-office,  to  have 


THE    DAGUERREOTYPE-OFFICE.  79 

your  likeness  taken  ?  If  yon  did,  you  remember 
how  very  careful  the  person,  who  took  your  likeness, 
was  to  have  you  seated  properly,  before  he  began 
to  take  it.  He  lifted  your  head  up,  he  set  your 
shoulders  back,  he  altered  the  position  of  your 
hands,  three  or  four  times,  perhaps,  before  he  could 
get  it  to  suit.  He  set  a  swinging  ball  in  motion,  for 
you  to  look  at,  so  as  to  have  your  eyes  right ;  and 
when  every  thing  was  arranged  just  to  suit  him,  he 
said,  ■"  There,  now;  keep  just  so,  for  a  little  while, 
and  we'll  get  a  nice  picture."  Suppose,  now,  you 
had  shut  one  eye,  just  at  that  moment,  and  kept  it 
shut,  for  two  or  three  minutes :  what  then  ?  "Why, 
you  would  have  had  the  likeness  of  a  one-eyed  boy 
or  girl.  Or  suppose  you  had  twisted  your  face,  or 
screwed  up  your  mouth :  why,  you  would  have  had  a 
picture  of  yourself  with  a  screwed-up  mouth,  or  a 
twisted  face.  Nothing  in  the  world  could  prevent 
it.  Now,  my  dear  children,  this  world  is  God's 
daguerreotype-onice ;  and  we  are  all  staying  here 
to  have  our  likeness  taken.  "While  we  are  young 
the  likeness  is  being  taken,  of  what  we  are  to  be  as 
men  and  women.  And  all  the  time  we  are  living 
here,  the  likeness  is  being  taken  of  what  we  shall  be, 
hereafter,  forever.  When  we  become  men  and  wo- 
men,  we  may,  by  great  efforts,  alter  the  picture  that 
was  made  of  ourselves  in  youth.  But,  when  we 
come  to  die,  the  picture  that  has  been  taken  of  us 
can  never,  never  be  altered.  However  crooked,  or 
awkward,  or  ugly,  our  features  may  be,  they  must 
remain,  just  as  they  are.  Oh,  this  is  a  most  import- 
ant thing  to  know.     And  it  is  a  very  solemn  thing 


80  the  soul's  daguerreotype. 

to  think  about.  Every  day  we  live,  our  likeness  ie 
being  taken  for  eternity.  Let  us  try  to  remember 
this,  every  morning,  when  we  rise  from  onr  beds. 
Let  us  think  to  ourselves,  "  I  am  having  my  like- 
ness taken  for  eternity  to-day,  and  I  must  strive  to 
have  a  good  likeness."  And  when  we  are  tempted 
to  do  any  thing  that  is  wrong,  let  us  stop  and  ask 
ourselves  the  question,  How  will  this  look  in  that 
picture  of  me,  which  must  last  forever?  And  it  is 
not  only  our  words,  and  actions,  but  our  thoughts, 
and  feelings,  which  will  appear  in  these  likenesses. 
Almost  every  feeling  we  indulge,  in  our  hearts,  will 
have  its  effect  upon  the  countenance.  When  a  per- 
son is  very  angry  you  can  tell  it,  in  a  minute,  from 
the  look  of  his  face.  The  cheeks  flash  up,  and  grow 
as  red  as  a  coal ;  and  the  eyes  glare,  and  flash  like 
the  eyes  of  a  tiger.  A  face  all  inflamed  with  anger 
would  make  a  very  disagreeable  picture,  to  look  at. 
And  selfishness,  fretfulness,  un kindness,  and  mean- 
ness, will  show  themselves,  in  the  face,  just  as  plainly 
as  anger  does.  And  they  are  just  as  disagreeable,  to 
look  at,  too.  And  if  we  indulge  these,  or  any  other 
wrong  feelings,  in  our  hearts  or  lives,  we  shall  fix 
the  expression  of  them  in  the  likeness,  now  being 
made,  of  what  we  are  to  be  forever.  Whenever  we 
are  tempted  to  give  way  to  these  wrong  feelings,  let 
us  say  to  ourselves,  "  JSTo  ;  this  will  spoil  our  picture 
for  eternity ;  this  will  make  a  crooked  feature,  in  it, 
that  will  never  be  made  straight.  Our  likeness  is 
being  taken,  now,  for  eternity.  Oh,  how  important, 
it  is,  that  we  should  keep  straight,  till  it  is  done !" 
There  is  only  one  other  point,  I  would  speak  upon, 


THE   WAY   TO    GET    THE    HEART    STRAIGHTENED.  81 

in  connection  with  our  present  text,  and  that  is 
this : — How  can  we  get  straight,  and  keep  straight,  till. 
our  likeness  is  finished  f 

Now,  how  are  we  to  get  straight?  This  is  the 
most  important  question  we  can  ever  have  to  think 
ahout.  Remember,  we  are  not  straight,  to  begin 
with.  Recollect,  that,  the  first  of  our  four  points 
was,  to  show  that,  we  are  all  born  with  crooked,  or 
sinful  hearts.  They  must  be  made  straight,  before 
they  can  be  kevt  straight.  How,  then,  can  a  crooked, 
sinful  heart  be  made  straight  or  good  ?  We  must 
take  it  to  Jesus,  and  pray  for  him  to  take  away  all 
that  is  wicked  in  it.  Jesus  is  able  to  do  this.  But 
no  one  else,  besides  him,  can  do  it  for  us.  "When 
David,  the  king  of  Israel,  was  mourning  over  his 
own  heart,  because  it  was  so  dreadfully  crooked  and 
sinful,  this  was  just  what  he  did,  to  get  a  new  heart. 
He  kneeled  down,  and  prayed  most  earnestly  to  his 
Saviour  to  do  for  him  this  very  thing,  that  we  are 
now  speaking  of.  Would  you  like  to  know  what  he 
said  in  his  prayer  ?  You  can  read  it  all  in  the  fifty- 
first  Psalm.  It  is  a  beautiful  prayer,  and  one  which 
we  may  use,  for  ourselves.  In  the  tenth  verse  of  the 
Psalm,  he  says,  "Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  O 
God;  and  renew  a  right  spirit  within  me."  That 
is  the  way,  and  the  only  way  in  the  world,  to  get  a 
crooked  heart  made  straight.  Jesus  is  just  as  will- 
ing to  hear  such  a  prayer,  from  a  little  child,  now,  as 
he  was  to  hear  it  from  King  David,  three  thousand 
years  ago,  if  it  is  offered,  as  earnestly,  as  David 
offered  it.  And  he  is  just  as  able  to  answer  it  now, 
as  he  was  then.     He  is  called  Jesus  for  this  very 


82  HOW   TO    KEEP    THE    HEART    STRAIGHT. 

reason,  because  he  saves  his  people  frofii  their  sins. 
And  he  does  this  by  making  new  hearts  in  them. 

In  one  of  the  hymns,  we  sometimes  sing,  is  this 
verse : — 

"Can  aught  beneath  a  power  divine, 
The  stubborn  will  subdue  ? 
'Tis  thine,  Almighty  Saviour,  thine 
To  form  the  heart  anew." 

This,  then,  is  the  way  to  get  a  crooked  heart 
made  straight.  It  is  to  take  it  to  Jesus  in  prayer, 
and  ask  him  to  do  it  for  you.  Every  one  of  us  may 
do  this  for  himself.  Every  child,  who  feels  his  heart 
to  be  crooked,  may  bring  it  to  Jesus  to  be  made 
new,  just  as  well  as  the  greatest  king,  or  the  most 
learned  minister  on  earth.  Jesus  said,  "  Suiter  little 
children  to  come  unto  me."  And  there  is  nothing 
for  which  he  so  loves  to  have  them  come  to  him, 
as  to  bring  their  crooked  hearts,  to  get  them 
straightened. 

But  when  our  hearts  are  made  straight,  how  are 
we  to  keep  them  straight  ?  Two  things  are  necessary 
for  this : — ice  must  get  Jesus  to  help  us,  and  ice  must 
help  ourselves.  We  must  get  Jesus  to  help  us.  "With- 
out his  help  we  can  do  nothing  at  all  in  this  matter. 
In  this  work  of  cultivating  our  hearts,  God  deals 
with  us,  just  as  he  does  with  the  farmer,  in  cultivat- 
ing his  fields.  The  farmer  must  have  God's  help, 
and  he  must  help  himself,  or  he  will  never  succeed 
in  raising  his  crops.  He  may  plough  his  fields,  and 
sow  his  seed;  but  if  there  were  no  sun  to  shine  on 
it,  ami  no  rain  to  descend,  or  no  dew  to  distil  upon 
jt,  do  you  suppose  that  the  seed  would  ever  spring 


TWO   KINDS    OF   HELP.  £3 

up  and  grow?  Never  in  the  world.  Now,  this  ia 
the  way  in  which  God  helps  the  farmer.  But  the 
farmer  must  help  himself,  by  preparing  the  ground, 
and  putting  iri  the  seed,  at  the  right  time,  and  in  the 
right  way.  And  if  he  neglect  to  do  this,  the  sun 
may  shine  ever  so  brightly,  and  the  rains  may  pour 
down  ever  so  plenteously,  but  will  there  be  any  har- 
vest yielded?  Of  course  not.  And  just  so  it  is  in 
the  work  of  straightening  crooked  hearts.  We 
must  have  God  to  help  us,  and  we  must  help  our- 
selves. But  how  will  God  help  us  here  ?  By  giving 
us  his  grace,  and  his  Holy  Spirit.  These  are  just 
the  kind  of  help  to  us,  in  trying  to  keep  our  hearts 
straight,  that  the  sun  and  rain  are  to  the  farmer,  in 
making  his  crops  grow.  But  how  are  we  to  get  this 
help  from  God  ?  By  earnest  prayer.  God  promises 
in  his  blessed  word,  to  give  his  grace  and  his  Spirit, 
and  all  that  his  people  need,  in  answer  to  their 
prayers.  He  says,  uAsk,  and  ye  shall  receive." 
Jesus  tells  us  that  his  Father  is  "more  ready  to  give 
these  good  things  to  them  that  ask,  than  parents  are 
to  give  bread  to  their  children."  If  you  want  to 
keep  your  hearts  straight,  then,  you  must  go  to 
Jesus_  whenever  you  find  any  thing  crooked  in  them, 
and  beg  him  to  take  it  away.  Yet  he  will  not  help  us, 
unless  we  help  ourselves;  and  all  our  efforts  will  do 
no  good  unless  we  have  his  help.  But  if  we  have 
both,  our  work  will  be  easy  and  pleasant,  and  effec- 
tual too.  You  remember  the  fable  of  the  wagoner 
whose  team  was  stalled  in  the  mire.  He  felt  that 
he  never  could  get  it  out  of  himself;  so  he  fell  down 
on  his  knees,  and  began  to  call  on  his  God  to  help 


84  THE   STALLED    WAGONER. 

him.  But  he  was  told  to  get  up,  and  put  his  shoulder 
to  the  wheel,  and  whip  his  horses,  and  then  call  for 
help  from  heaven,  and  it  should  be  granted  to  him. 
There  is  a  great  deal  of  truth  in  this  fable.  God 
only  helps  those  who  help  themselves.  He  does  so 
in  reference  to  the  body,  and  the  things  of  this 
world,  and  he  does  just  the  same  in  reference  to  the 
soul,  and  the  things  of  the  world  to  come.  Begin  at 
once,  then,  my  dear  children,  to  find  out  all  that  is 
crooked  in  your  hearts ;  and  as  fast  as  you  find  these 
crooked  things  out,  take  them  to  Jesus,  and  pray 
him  to  make  them  straight.  And  when  they  are 
made  straight,  seek  his  help,  and  help  yourselves,  to 
keep  them  straight.  This  is  the  Bible  way  of 
straightening  crooked  hearts.  This  is  the  way,  the 
only  way,  of  reaching  heaven, — that  glorious,  happy 
place,  where  nothing  crooked  ever  enters.  May 
God  help  us  all  to  walk  in  this  good  way  now,  and 
may  he  bring  us  safe  to  that  blessed  place  at  last, 
for  Jesus'  sake !  Amen. 


THE  GREAT  MAN  IN  GOD'S  SIGHT. 

Luke  i.  15  :  He  shall  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord. 

If  you  had  never  heard  these  words  before,  my 
dear  children,  I  suppose  you  would  be  ready,  as 
soon  as  you  heard  them,  to  ask,  "Who  can  this 
mean  ?  Does  it  refer  to  some  mighty  king,  or  con- 
queror ?  Is  it  David,  who  killed  the  giant  ?  or  Da- 
niel, who  was  thrown  into  the  lion's  den  ?  Or  is  it 
some  great  soldier,  like  Alexander,  or  Julius  Caesar, 
or  Napoleon,  that  is  intended?"  No;  it  is  none  of 
these.  It  is  nobody  like  them,  that  is  spoken  of 
here.  Our  text  refers  to  John  the  Baptist.  And 
who  was  John  the  Baptist  ?  He  was  the  son  of  a 
poor  priest.  He  was  very  poor  himself.  He  was 
born  in  a  little  village  among  the  hills  of  Judea. 
He  lived  in  the  wilderness,  and  was  never  heard 
of,  out  of  his  own  family,  till  he  grew  to  be  thirty 
years  old.  Then  he  began  to  preach,  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Jerusalem.  He  continued  his  labors,  as 
a  preacher,  for  about  twelve  months.  One  day  lie 
preached  a  sermon  which  offended  Herod,  the  king 
of  Judea.  Herod  became  very  angry  with  him,  and 
put  him  in  prison.  There  he  was  kept  for  a  while, 
and  then  he  was  beheaded.  This  was  the  history 
of  John  the  Baptist.  And  yet,  before  his  birth,  the 
angel  Gabriel  was  sent  from  heaven  to  tell  the  father 

8  85 


86  THE   GREATNESS   OF   BIRTH — NAPOLEON'S    SON. 

of  John,  that  he  was  to  be  a  great  man,'  in  the  sight 
of  God.  Perhaps  some  of  yon  are  ready  to  say, 
"Why,  this  seems  very  strange;  we  don't  see  any 
thing  so  very  great,  in  the  life  of  John  the  Baptist." 
I  dare  say  a  good  many  people  have  thought  so.  But 
we  must  bear  in  mind  that  there  are  two  kinds  of 
great  men.  Some  are  great  in  the  sight  of  men, 
and  others  are  great  in  the  sight  of  God.  There  is 
a  wonderful  difference  between  these  two  kinds  of 
greatness.     Now,  let  us  consider  three  questions. 

The  first  is: — What  makes  'people  great  in  the  sight  of 
men? 

The  second  is : —  What  makes  people  great  in  the  sight 
of  God? 

And  the  third  is : —  Why  is  it  better  to  be  great  in  God's 
sight,  than  in  man's  sight? 

Our  first  question  is:  —  What  makes  people  great 
in  the  sight  of  men  ?  Several  things  do  this ;  but 
birth,  or  money,  or  talents,  are  the  chief  things  which 
give  this  kind  of  greatness.  Some  people  are  con- 
sidered great,  simply,  on  account  of  their  birth.  They 
happen  to  be  born  of  parents  who  occupy  a  distin- 
guished place  in  society.  We  all  heard,  a  great  deal 
of  talk,  about  the  son  that  was  born  to  Louis  Napo- 
leon, the  Emperor  of  France,  last  spring.  For  a 
long  time,  the  newspapers  were  filled  with  accounts 
of  the  wonderful  preparations  that  were  made  to 
celebrate  his  birth.  He  was  to  be  called  the  King 
of  Algiers.  He  was  to  be  rocked  in  a  silver  cradle. 
When  he  was  born,  guns  were  fired,  bonfires  wTere 
kindled,  illuminations  were  held,  bells  were  rung, 
flags  were  waved,  and  all  Paris,  if  not  all  France, 


THE    GREATNESS    OF    MONEY STEPHEN    GTRARD.         87 

was  in  a  perfect  tumult  of  excitement.  One  might 
have  supposed  that  that  unconscious  baby  was  really 
the  greatest  person  ever  horn  into  this  world.  It 
was  a  great  baby  in  the  sight  of  men.  And  yet 
there  was  nothing  but  his  birth,  to  make  him  great. 
No  doubt,  many  a  baby  was  born  that  same  day,  in 
humble  life,  perhaps  in  some  garret,  or  hut,  that  will 
really  be  a  great  deal  more  useful,  to  the  world,  than 
that  emperor's  son.  Greatness,  in  the  sight  of  men, 
belongs  to  that  child  of  a  palace,  but  it  is  great- 
ness which  owes  its  existence  to  nothing  but  his 
birth. 

But  money  is  another  thing  on  account  of  which 
persons  are  sometimes  considered  great  in  the  sight 
of  men.  Everybody  in  Philadelphia,  I  suppose,  has 
heard  about  Stephen  Girard.  When  he  was  alive, 
he  was  the  richest  man  in  this  city.  He  was  the 
richest  man  in  this  country.  He  was  one  of  the 
richest  men  in  the  world.  He  died  without  leaving 
any  children.  But  suppose  that  Stephen  Girard  had 
had  one  only  son.  And  suppose  that,  instead  of 
leaving  his  property  to  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  he 
had  left  it  all  to  this  son.  Fifteen  millions  of  dollars 
to  one  man  ;  what  a  rich  man  he  would  have  been  ! 
How  much  attention  would  have  been  paid  to  that 
man  !  How  much  he  would  have  been  honored,  and 
sought  after!  He  might  have  been  an  ignorant, 
stupid,  bad  man,  and  yet  many  persons  would  have 
considered  him  a  great  man,  simply,  on  account  of 
his  money.  It  is  a  poor,  mean,  contemptible  thing 
when  a  person's  greatness  grows  out  of  his  gold. 
Yet  it  often   does  so.     Plenty  of  money  is   ofteii 


88  THE  GREATNESS  OF  TALENT. 

enough  to  make  people  be  considered  great  in  the 
sight  of  men. 

But,  there  is  another  thing  on  which  this  kind  of 
greatness  rests,  the  most  frequently  of  all,  and  that 
is  talent,  By  this  is  meant  smartness,  or  power  of 
mind  to  do  things  that  other  people  cannot  do,  or 
else  to  do  them  better,  than  others  can.  Here  are 
two  little  boys,  John  and  William.  They  both  go 
to  the  same  school,  at  the  same  time,  and  the}7  are 
both  put  into  the  ABC  class.  John  learns  the 
alphabet  in  three  lessons ;  but  William  has  to  go 
over  his,  again,  and  again,  day  after  day,  and  week 
after  week,  for  three  months,  before  he  knows  it. 
We  should  say  that  John  had  a  talent  for  learning, 
while  William  had  not.  Kow,  this  talent,  or  power 
of  mind  to  do  things,  assumes  many  different  forms, 
and  shows  itself  in  many  different  ways.  Some- 
times, a  man's  talent  will  show  itself,  in  a  remark- 
able power  to  learn  languages,  as  in  the  case  of  Sir 
William  Jones.  This  man  learned  to  read,  and 
write,  twenty-eight  different  lauguages.  He  became 
one  of  the  most  learned  men  of  the  age,  in  which  he 
lived.  His  talents  made  him  a  great  man,  in  the 
sight  of  men.  And  so  it  was  with  Dr.  Carey,  the 
Baptist  missionary  to  India.  When  a  young  man, 
he  was  a  shoemaker.  But  his  heart  was  full  of  the 
love  of  God,  and  he  resolved  to  give  himself  up  to 
the  work  of  preaching  the  gospel,  to  the  heathen. 
Some  people  ridiculed  the  idea  of  his  becoming  a 
minister.  They  made  sport  of  him,  and  called  him 
"  the  consecrated  cobbler."  But  he  paid  no  attention 
to  their  mockery.     He  gave  himself  up  to  the  work 


EXAMPLES   OP   MEN   OP   TALENT.  89 

he  had  chosen.  He  had  a  remarkable  talent  for 
learning  languages,  and  he  lived  to  translate  the 
Scriptures  into  the  language  of  many  of  the  East- 
ern nations,  and  thus  became  the  means,  as  it  were, 
of  opening  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  thousands, 
and  thousands,  of  people  who  would  never  have 
heard  of  Jesus,  and  his  salvation,  but  for  him.  Some- 
times a  man's  talents  will  lie  in  a  power  for  paint- 
ing, as  was  the  case  with  Benjamin  West,  the  son 
of  a  plain  Pennsylvania  former,  who  became  one  of 
the  most  celebrated  painters  in  the  world.  Some- 
times it  will  show  itself  in  a  power  for  writing 
beautiful  poetry,  as  was  the  case  with  John  Milton, 
and  Alexander  Pope,  who  acquired  a  greatness,  in 
the  sight  of  men,  that  will  last  as  long  as  the  Eng- 
lish language  continues  to  be  read,  in  the  world. 
Sometimes  it  will  show  itself  in  a  power  to  find  out 
curious  things,  about  the  stars,  and  other  heavenly 
bodies,  as  in  the  case  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  who  saw 
an  apple  fall  from  a  tree  one  day,  and  set  to  study- 
ing about  it,  and  found  out  from  it  how  it  is  that 
the  stars  move  so  regularly,  and  a  great  many  other 
wonderful  things  which  nobody  else  had  ever  known 
before,  since  the  world  was  made.  Sometimes  this 
talent  will  show  itself  in  a  power  to  make  curious 
machinery,  as  in  the  case  of  James  Watts,  who 
made  the  first  steam-engine,  or  of  Robert  Fulton, 
who  made  the  first  steamboat.  These  persons  will 
always  be  considered  great,  in  the  sight  of  men,  on 
account  of  their  talents.  And  sometimes,  though 
^ery  rarely,  a  man's  talents  will  show  itself  in  a 
power  to  do  any  thing,  better  than  other  people  can 


90  GREATNESS    IN    GOD's    SIGHT. 

do  it.  This  was  the  case  with  our  great  Washing- 
ton. He  had  a  great  talent  for  every  thing  he  was 
called  upon  to  do.  He  had  a  wonderful  talent  for 
beating  the  British,  and  a  wonderful  talent  for  ruling 
the  Americans.  He  had  great  talent  as  a  soldier, 
and  great  talent  as  a  statesman,  and  great  talent  as 
a  farmer,  and,  better  than  all,  besides,  he  had  great 
talent  as  a  good  citizen,  and  a  good  man.  He  was 
great  in  the  sight  of  men,  and  great  in  the  sight  of 
God  too.  But  these  are  the  three  chief  things,  that 
make  persons  great,  in  the  sight  of  men.  And  this 
was  the  first  question,  we  were  to  consider. 

And  now  we  come  to  our  second  question,  which  is 
this  : —  What  is  it  which  makes  i^ople  great,  in  the  sight 
of  God?  It  is  not  any  of  the  things  which  leads  to 
greatness  in  men's  sight.  A  person  may  be  born  of 
the  greatest  king  that  ever  lived,  and  be  as  rich  as 
Girard  was,  and  have  the  talents  of  all  the  different 
great  men  that  I  have  mentioned,  and  yet  never  be 
great  at  all  in  the  sight  of  God.  And  then,  on  the 
other  hand,  a  person  may  be  born  in  a  garret,  or  a 
cellar,  and  never  have  any  money  to  call  his  own, 
and  no  talent  at  all  to  do  any  thing  that  men  call 
great,  and  yet  may  be  really  great  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord.  This  was  very  much  the  case  with  John 
the  Baptist.  He  had  neither  birth,  nor  money,  nor 
talents,  to  make  him  what  men  would  call  great ;  yet 
God  called  him  a  great  man.  What  made  him 
great  ?  And  what  will  make  others  as  great  as  he 
was?  Now,  all,  that  need  be  said  in  answer  to  this 
question,  is  included  in  a  single  word.  What  an  im- 
portant word  it  is,  which  leads  to  such  an  important 


THE    SUN    MAKES    THE    CLOUDS    GLORIOUS.  91 

result !  This  word  is  obedience.  It  was  simply  Ms 
obedience  which  led  to  all  John's  greatness.  He  did 
just  what  God  wanted  him  to  do.  He  did  nothing 
else;  and  he  did  this  all  the  time.  God  wanted 
John  to  stay  in  the  wilderness,  till  he  was  thirty 
years  old,  and  he  stayed  there.  God  wanted  him  to 
preach  repentance,  and  he  did  it.  God  wanted  him 
to  tell  Herod  of  his  sin.  Now,  John  knew  that 
Herod  was  a  wicked  man,  and  that  he  would  get 
very  angry  with  him ;  yet  he  went  right  on  and  did 
it.  Herod  put  him  in  prison,  and  killed  him,  for  it ; 
yet  John  was  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord.  He 
had  nothing  but  his  obedience  to  make  him  great. 

And  if  we  obey  God,  as  John  did,  it  will  make  us 
great  in  his  sight  too.  Jesus  said  to  his  disciples, 
"  Ye  are  my  friends  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command 
you;"  that  is,  if  ye  obey  me.  But  Jesus  is  the 
almighty  God.  He  rules,  and  governs  more  than 
ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  worlds.  All  the 
angels  of  heaven  worship  him.  It  is  his  smile  which 
makes  the  happiness  of  heaven.  Jesus  is  so  very 
great  himself,  that  it  must  make  anybody  great  who 
is  permitted  to  become  his  friend.  You  know,  my 
dear  children,  how  often,  when  evening  comes,  the 
setting  sun  will  shine  upon  the  clouds  that  are  float- 
ing in  the  western  sky,  and  make  them  look  so 
bright,  and  beautiful,  that  you  stand  and  gaze  upon 
them,  and  feel  as  if  you  never  should  be  tired  of 
looking  at  them.  Before  the  sun  shines  on  them, 
those  clouds  look  so  dark,  and  black,  that  you  have 
no  pleasure  in  seeing  them.  They  owe  all  their 
brightness  and  glory  to  the  sun.     And  yet  the  glory 


92  JESUS   MAKES   HIS   PEOPLE   GREAT. 

which  the  sun  gives  them  is  only  in  appearance, 
not  in  reality.  Now,  if  the  sun  had  the  power  of 
making  all  the  clouds  he  shines  on,  really  be,  what 
they  seem  to  he, — if  he  could  actually  turn  them  into 
glorious,  glittering  gold, — he  would  then  he  doing 
for  the  clouds,  just  what  Jesus  does  for  all  who  ohey 
him,  and  become  his  friends.  He  sheds  his  glory 
upon  them,  and  makes  them  like  himself.  He  not 
only  makes  them  look  great  and  glorious,  but  he 
makes  them  really  be  so.  When  David  was  think- 
ing about  all  God's  goodness  to  him,  he  said,  "  Thy 
gentleness  has  made  me  great."  All  the  greatness 
which  people  get  in  men's  sight  is  little  and  empty; 
but  it  is  vast,  wonderful,  substantial  greatness  which 
they  get,  who  become  great  in  the  sight  of  God. 
And  this  is  what  we  have  Sunday-schools,  and 
churches  for.  This  is  the  end  of  all  our  teaching, 
and  preaching.  The  object,  we  have  in  view  in  it 
all,  is  to  persuade  you  to  love  and  serve  Jesus.  It  is 
to  induce  you  to  become  the  friends  of  Jesus.  And 
if  you  do  this,  you  will  secure  true  greatness  to  your- 
selves. This  will  make  you,  like  John  the  Baptist, — 
"great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord."  And  this  is  a 
great  deal  better  than  being  great  in  the  sight  of 
men. 

And  now  we  come  to  our  third  and  last  question,  which 
is : —  Why  is  it  better  to  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord 
than  in  the  sight  of  men  ? 

We  may  answer  this  question  by  saying  that  it  is 
so  for  three  reasons.  Greatness  in  God's  sight  is 
better  than  greatness  in  man's  sight,  because  it  is 
more  useful.     Great  men  in  God's  sight  are  more 


THE   CHRISTIAN    USEFUL   BY   HIS   EXAMPLE.  93 

useful,  than  others,  by  their  example.  Now,  the  most 
useful  thing  that  can  be  done  to  anybody  is  to  make 
him  a  Christian.  And  whatever  is  the  best  help 
towards  making  any  one  a  Christian,  that  is  the 
most  useful  thing  to  him.  But  there  is  nothing  like 
the  influence  of  a  Christian's  example  to  help  to 
make  others  Christians.  And  in  this  way,  a  real 
Christian  is  doing  good  to  those  about  him,  all  the 
time.  A  man  may  be  born  of  a  prince,  and  be  very 
rich,  and  very  talented ;  yet  there  is  nothing  in  any 
of  these  things  to  make  his  example  useful,  in  the 
way  of  which  we  are  now  speaking.  But  when  any 
one  is  great  in  the  sight  of  God,  as  John  was,  by 
obedience  to  his  will,  he  is  exerting  an  influence,  all 
the  time,  which  tends  to  make  others  obey  him  too ; 
and  thus,  such  a  person  is  more  useful  by  his  exam- 
ple, thau  those  who  are  great  in  the  sight  of  men. 

And  then  by  his  prayers,  as  well  as  by  his  exam- 
ple, such  a  person  is  more  useful.  Suppose  a  great 
king  had  a  treasure-house,  filled  with  all  kinds  of 
good  things;  and  suppose  he  should  give  the  key  of 
this  treasure-house  to  one  of  his  servants,  and  should 
tell  him  that  he  might  open  it  whenever  he  pleased, 
and  take  out  any  thing  that  was  necessary  for  his 
own  happiness,  or  that  of  his  friends.  What  a  pri- 
vilege this  would  be !  How  much  good  this  person 
might  do !  How  very  useful  he  might  make  him- 
self! But  this  is  just  what  God  does  to  his  people. 
He  has  a  treasury  in  heaven,  which  contains  every 
thing  necessary  to  our  happiness.  Prayer  is  the  key 
that  unlocks  this  treasury.  God  puts  this  key  into 
the  hands  of  his  people,  and  allows  them  to  use  if 


94    A  CHRISTIAN  USEFUL  BY  HIS  PRAYER,  AND  EFFORTS. 

for  themselves  or  others,  as  there  may  be  occasion. 
As  the  hymn  says, — 

"Prayer  makes  the  darkened  cloud  withdraw; 
Prayer  climbs  the  ladder  Jacob  saw ; 
Gives  exercise  to  faith  and  love, 
Brings  every  blessing  from  above." 

The  prayer  of  Abraham  would  have  saved  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah,  from  being  burnt  up,  if  ten  good 
people  had  been  found  there.  The  prayer  of  Moses 
saved  the  whole  nation  of  Israel  from  destruction. 
The  prayer  of  Elijah  brought  rain  on  the  land,  when 
there  had  been  none  for  three  years  and  six  months. 
And  a  great  many  such  instances  may  be  found  in 
the  Bible.  But  every  Christian  loves  to  pray,  and, 
by  his  prayers,  he  will  be  more  useful  than  those  can 
ever  be  who  have  not  learned  to  pray. 

And  then,  those  who  love  and  serve  God,  and  are 
great  in  his  sight,  are  more  useful  than  others  by 
their  efforts,  as  well  as  by  their  example  and  prayers. 
You  remember,  my  dear  children,  when  Jesus  was 
on  earth,  as  soon  as  he  called  some  of  his  disciples 
and  they  found  out  who  he  was,  they  went  right 
away  to  tell  their  friends  and  relations,  and  tried  to 
bring  them  to  Jesus  too.  And  just  so  it  is  now.  As 
soon  as  a  person  becomes  a  real  Christian,  and  finds 
out  what  a  precious  Saviour  Jesus  is,  he  will  try  to 
persuade  others  to  love  and  serve  him  too.  Hence, 
you  will  find  such  a  person  becoming  a  Sunday-school 
teacher,  or  a  tract-distributer,  or  a  Bible-reader,  or 
a  visitor  of  the  sick.  And  these  are  among  tho 
most  useful  things  that  any  one  can  do.  The  reason 
why  they  are  so,  is  because  they  are  means  which 


THE    CHRISTIAN'S    GREATNESS    MORE    LASTING*.  95 

God  has  appointed  for  saving  souls  from  death ;  and 
to  save  a  soul,  is  the  most  useful  thing  iD  the  world. 
If  you,  or  I,  could  make  a  world,  like  this  we  live 
in,  we  should  feel  that  we  had  done  some  very  great 
thing.  Yet  Jesus  has  told  us,  that  one  soul  is  worth 
more  than  a  whole  world.  If  we  should  be  the 
means,  therefore,  of  leading  one  person  to  love  and 
serve  Jesus,  we  really  do  more  good  than  if  we  could 
make  a  world.  This  is  one  reason,  then,  why  great- 
ness in  God's  sight  is  better  than  greatness  in  the 
sight  of  men.     It  is  more  useful. 

But  it  is  so,  again,  because  this  greatness  is  more 
lasting,  than  the  other.  Greatness  in  man's  sight — a 
greatness  that  connects  itself  with  birth,  or  money,  or 
talents  merely — will  soon  pass  away ;  but  greatness 
in  God's  sight — a  greatness  that  connects  itself  with 
our  being  made  good,  and  holy — will  never  pass  away. 
The  former,  of  these,  is  like  having  one's  name  writ- 
ten on  the  sand,  upon  the  ocean's  shore,  where  the  next 
wave  will  wash  it  all  away.  The  latter,  is  like  hav- 
ing one's  name  chiseled  in  marble,  so  that  it  cannot 
easily  be  done  away.  One  of  these,  is  like  the  height 
which  a  person  reaches  who  gets  on  stilts.  He  may 
stalk  round,  for  a  little  while,  high  up  above  others; 
but  pretty  soon  he  must  lay  aside  his  stilts,  and  then 
he  comes  down,  as  low  as  anybody.  The  other,  is  like 
the  height  of  one  who  rises  by  actually  growing  tall. 
He  will  remain  to-morrow,  and  next  year,  and  always, 
just  as  tall  as  he  may  become  to-day.  One  of  these 
kinds  of  greatness  is  like  a  sky-rocket.  It  shoots  up, 
suddenly,  into  the  sky,  with  a  great  rush,  and  blaze, 
and  then,  just  as  suddenly,  it  goes  out  again,  in  total 


96       CHRISTIAN    GREATNESS    TO    BE   REACHED    E5T   ALL. 

darkness.  Its  beauty  fades,  its  brightness  disap- 
pears, and  the  blackened  stick,  falling  to  the  earth, 
is  all  that  remains  of  it.  The  other,  is  like  the  star, 
which  God  has  set  in  the  heavens.  It  shines  with 
a  clear,  calm,  beautiful,  steady  light.  It  has  been 
shining  so,  for  ages  past;  it  will  be  shining  so,  for 
ages  to  come  And  this  is  just  what  God  himself 
compares  his  people  to,  when  he  says,  "  They  that 
be  wise,  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firma- 
ment, and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness,  as 
the  stars,  forever  and  ever."  Greatness  in  the  sight 
of  God  is  better  than  greatness  in  the  sight  of  men, 
because  it  is  more  lasting. 

And  then  it  is  so,  again,  because  it  is  within  the  reach 
of  all.  This  is  not  true,  of  greatness  in  the  sight  of 
men,  but  it  is  true,  of  greatness  in  the  sight  of  God. 
Can  we  all  be  born  of  kings  or  princes  ?  No.  Can 
we  all  become  as  rich  as  Girard  was  ?  'No.  Can  we 
all  become  great  poets  like  Milton,  or  great  painters 
like  West,  or  great  generals  like  Wellington,  [Napo- 
leon, or  Washington  ?  ISTo.  But  may  we  not  all 
become  great,  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  as  John  the 
Baptist  was?  Yes,  we  may.  For  it  was  the  grace 
of  God,  which  made  him  what  he  was,  and  the  same 
grace  will  be  given  to  us,  if  we  seek  it  with  all  our 
hearts.  It  is  spoken  of  as  "the  grace  of  God  which 
bringeth  salvation  to  all  men."  All  may  seek  it. 
All  may  secure  it,  and  all  may  be  made  great  by  it. 
There  was  a  book  published  several  years  ago,  which 
almost  everybody  read.  The  name  of  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal characters  described  in  the  book  was  "  Uncle 
Tom."   He  is  represented  as  a  negro  slave  in  one  of 


UNCLE   TOM    AND    UNCLE    BEN.  97 

our  Southern  States.  He  is  described  as  a  good  man, 
and  a  great  man,  although  but  a  poor  slave.  Some 
people  think  there  never  was  such  a  character,  among 
the  slaves.  But,  I  dare  say,  a  great  many  such  could 
be  found  among  them.  A  clergyman  who  had  spent 
many  years  in  the  West  India  islands,  before  slavery 
was  abolished,  gave  me  an  account  of  such  a  one, 
whom  he  knew  very  well.  He  assured  me  it  was 
strictly  true.  He  said  there  was  once  an  insurrec- 
tion, in  one  of  those  islands ;  that  is,  that  some  had 
undertaken  to  put  clown  the  laws,  and  the  magis- 
trates, and  do  just  what  they  pleased.  Among 
other  things,  they  resolved  to  break  up  the  religious 
meetings  of  the  slaves,  in  that  neighborhood.  These 
meetings  were  conducted  by  an  old  slave,  called 
Uncle  Ben.  He  was  a  pious,  excellent  negro,  who 
was  respected,  and  loved,  by  all  who  knew  him.  He 
had  learned  to  read,  and  was  a  sort  of  minister 
among  the  slaves,  in  that  part  of  the  island.  The 
rioters  went  to  the  negroes'  meeting-house,  at  the 
time  of  service,  for  the  purpose  of  breaking  it  up. 
It  happened  that  Uncle  Ben  was  not  there,  that 
day.  He  was  unwell ;  and  one  of  his  friends  was 
conducting  the  meeting.  The  rioters  went  in,  and 
seized  the  leader  of  the  service.  They  led  him  out 
of  the  meeting-house,  and  put  him  to  death,  without 
a  moment's  delay.  They  struck  off  the  poor  fel- 
low's head,  and  set  it  on  a  pole,  and  then  went  round 
to  the  different  plantations,  to  terrify  the  poor  ne- 
groes, by  this  bloody  sight  of  the  head  of  their  pray- 
ing leader.     In  the  course  of  their  march,  they  came 

to  Uncle  Ben's  cabin.    They  halted  at  the  door,  and 

9 


98  uncle  ben's  courage. 

sent  some  one  to  fetcli  him  out.  When  he  appeared, 
the  leader  of  the  mob  pointed  to  the  bleeding  head 
on  the  pole,  and  asked,  "Do  you  know  that  head, 
Uncle  Ben?"  "Yes,  massa,"  says  Ben  ;  "I  knows 
him."  "Well,  Ben,  that's  what  he's  got  for  his 
praying.  And  if  }~ou  don't  stop  praying,  that's  just 
what  you'll  get.  The  next  time  we  catch  you  pray- 
ing, we'll  do  just  the  same  with  your  head." 

While  this  was  going  on,  a  great  number  of  the 
slaves  had  gathered  round,  who  looked  with  intense 
interest  on  this  scene.  They  were  the  fellow-slaves 
of  Uncle  Ben,  and  most  of  them  members  of  his 
church.  Ben  gazed  upon  the  head  of  his  friend. 
Then  he  looked  the  leader  of  the  mob  full  in  the 
face,  and  said,  "Massa,  you  mean  dat?"  "To-be- 
sure  I  do,"  said  the  man ;  "and  if  you  wish  to  keep 
your  head  upon  your  shoulders,  you'll  give  up  pray- 
ing at  once."  Ben  turned  to  his  fellow-slaves  in  a 
moment,  and  said,  "Bredren,  let  us  pray."  Then  he 
kneeled  down,  in  the  presence  of  those  fierce,  law- 
less men,  and  poured  out  his  soul  in  prayer.  He 
prayed  that  God  would  pardon  their  sin,  and  show 
them  the  evil  of  their  ways,  and  change  their  hearts, 
by  his  grace.  He  prayed  that  God  would  give  him, 
and  his  fellow-slaves,  grace  to  be  faithful  to  their 
Christian  profession,  and  never,  by  any  threats,  or 
dangers,  to  be  turned  away  from  their  duty  to  him. 
When  he  ceased,  he  rose  up  and  went  into  his  cabin. 
God's  power  was  on  the  hearts  of  those  rioters,  so 
that  they  went  away,  without  offering  to  touch  him. 
Uncle  Ben  was  a  great  man,  although  he  was  but  a 
slave. 


HONEST   JOHN    MAYNARD.  99 

Now,  look  at  another  instance.  A  steamboat  is 
making  her  way  through  the  sparkling  waters  of 
Lake  Erie.  The  pilot,  at  the  wheel,  is  old  John  May- 
nard.  He  is  a  bluff,  weather-beaten  sailor,  tanned 
by  man}7  a  burning  summer's  sun,  and  many  a  win- 
try tempest.  From  one  end  of  the  lake  to  the 
other,  he  is  known  by  the  name  of  "honest  John 
Maynard;"  and  the  secret  of  his  honesty,  to  his 
neighbors,  is  his  love  to  God. 

The  land  is  about  ten  miles  off,  when  the  captain, 
coming  up  from  his  cabin,  cries  to  a  sailor, — 

"  What's  all  that  smoke  there,  coming  out  of  the 
hold?" 

"It's  from  the  engine-room,  I  guess,"  said  the 
man. 

"Down  with  you,  then,  and  let  me  know." 

The  sailor  disappeared  for  a  moment,  beneath,  and 
then  returned,  much  faster  than  he  went,  and  ex- 
claimed, "The  hold's  on  fire,  sir!" 

The  captain  rushed  down,  and  found  the  account 
too  true.  Some  sparks  had  fallen  on  a  bundle  of 
tow.  No  one  had  seen  the  accident;  and  now,  not 
only  much  of  the  baggage,  but  also  the  sides  of  the 
vessel,  were  in  a  smouldering  flame. 

All  hands,  passengers  as  well  as  sailors,  were 
called  together,  and,  two  lines  being  formed,  one  on 
each  side  of  the  hold,  buckets  of  water  were  passed, 
and  repassed.  Filled  from  the  lake,  they  flew  along 
the  line  of  ready  hands,  were  dashed  hissing  on  the 
burning  mass,  and  then  passed,  on  the  other  side,  to 
be  refilled.  It  seemed,  for  a  few  moments,  as  if  the 
flames  were  subdued. 


100  TtfE    BURNING    STEAMBOAT. 

" How's  her  head?"  shouted  the  captain. 

"  West-sou'west,  sir,"  answered  Maynard. 

"Keep  her  sou'  and  by  west,"  cried  the  captain; 
"we  must  go  ashore  anywhere." 

It  happened  that  a  draught  of  wind  drove  hack  the 
flames,  which  soon  began  to  blaze  up  more  furiously 
towards  the  saloon ;  and  the  partition,  between  it  and 
the  hold,  was  soon  on  fire.  Then  long  wreaths  of 
smoke  began  to  find  their  way  through  the  skylight; 
and  seeing  this,  the  captain  ordered  all  the  women 
forward.  The  engineer  put  on  his  utmost  steam  ; 
the  American  flag  was  run  up,  with  the  union  down, 
in  token  of  distress ;  and  water  was  thrown  on  the 
sails  to  make  them  hold  the  wind.  And  still  John 
Maynard  stood  by  the  wheel,  though  now  he  was 
cut  ofF,  by  a  sheet  of  smoke  and  flame,  from  the 
ship's  crew. 

Greater  and  greater  grew  the  heat ;  the  engineers 
fled  from  the  engine-room,  the  passengers  were 
clustering  round  the  vessel's  bow,  the  sailors  were 
sawing  planks  to  lash  the  women  on,  the  boldest 
passengers  were  throwing  off  their  coats  and  waist- 
coats, and  preparing  for  one  long  struggle  for  life. 
And  still  the  coasts  grew  plainer;  the  paddles  as  yet 
worked  well ;  they  could  not  be  more  then  a  mile 
from  the  shore,  and  boats  were  seen  starting  to  their 
assistance. 

"  John  Maynard !"  cried  the  captain. 

"Ay,  ay,  sir  !"  said  John. 

"  Can  you  hold  on  five  minutes  longer?" 

"I'll  try,  sir." 

Noble  fellow !    And  he  did  try.     The  flames  came 


JOHN    MAYNARD    A    MODERN    MARTYR.  101 

nearer  and  nearer ;  a  sheet  of  smoke  would  some- 
times almost  suffocate  him ;  his  hair  was  singed,  hia 
blood  seemed  ready  to  boil  with  the  intense  heat. 
Crouching  as  far  back  as  he  could,  he  held  the 
wheel  firmly  with  his  left  hand,  till  the  flesh  shri- 
velled, and  the  muscles  cracked  in  the  flames.  Then 
he  stretched  forth  his  right  hand,  and  bore  the  same 
agony,  without  a  scream,  or  a  groan.  It  was  enough 
for  him,  that  he  heard  the  cheer  of  the  sailors  to  the 
approaching  boats,  and  the  cry  of  the  captain,  "  The 
women  and  children  first,  then  every  man  for  him- 
self, and  God  for  us  all !"  These  were  the  last  words 
he  heard.  Exactly  how  he  perished  was  never 
known.  Whether,  dizzied  by  the  smoke,  he  lost 
his  footing  in  endeavoring  to  come  forward,  and  fell 
overboard,  or  whether  he  was  suffocated  and  fell 
into  the  flames,  his  comrades  could  not  tell.  At  the 
moment  the  vessel  struck,  the  boats  were  at  her  side ; 
passengers,  sailors,  and  captain,  leaped  into  them,  or 
swam  for  their  lives;  and  all,  save  he  to  whom, 
under  God,  they  owed  every  thing,  escaped. 

We  see  from  these  cases,  my  dear  children,  that 
the  poorest  persons,  and  those  in  the  humblest  po- 
sitions of  life,  may  become  great  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord.  Who  would  not  rather  be  great  in  the  sight 
of  God,  than  in  the  sight  of  men  ?  This  greatness 
we  may  all  attain  to,  if  we  only  try  aright.  But 
there  were  three  things,  in  John's  case,  that  we  must 
remember,  if  we  want  to  succeed.  John  began  early. 
He  did  not  wait  till  he  grew  up  to  be  a  man,  before 
he  loved  and  served  God.     He  began  while  he  was 

9* 


J 02  THREE    THINGS    IN    JOHN'S    EXAMPLE. 

yet  a  child.  And  so  must  we,  if  we  wish  to  "be 
really  great  in  goodness. 

And,  then,  John  had  the  Holy  Spirit  to  help  him. 
When  the  angel  Gabriel  told  John's  father,  Zacha- 
rias,  that  God  was  going  to  give  him  a  son,  he  said 
lhat  he  would  he  "rilled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  from 
the  time  he  was  horn."  John  never  would  have 
been  good,  or  great  in  the  sight  of  God,  without  the 
help  of  this  blessed  Spirit ;  and  nobody  else  ever 
will,  either.  If  you  want  to  be  great,  as  John  was, 
you  must  get  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  he  did. 

And  then,  again,  John  gave  up  every  thing  that  teas 
likely  to  hinder  him  from  becoming  great.  We  are  told 
that  "he  drank  neither  wine,  nor  strong  drink." 
He  was  a  temperate  man,  not  only  in  drinking,  but 
in  eating,  and  in  every  thing.  And  so  must  we  be, 
if  we  would  be  great  in  the  sight  of  God.  May 
God  help  us  all  to  remember  these  things,  my  dear 
children  !  May  he  give  us  grace  "  to  follow  John's 
doctrine  and  holy  life,  that  we  may  truly  repent  ac- 
cording to  his  preaching;  and,  after  his  example, 
constantly  speak  the  truth,  boldly  rebuke  vice,  and 
patiently  suffer  for  the  truth's  sake,  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord."  Amen. 


THE  LILY'S  LESSONS. 

Matt.  vi.  28  :    Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field. 

There  was  once  a  man  who  was  a  great  writer. 
He  had  a  wonderful  power  to  tell  just  what  people 
think,  and  feel ;  and  he  had  the  power  to  tell  these 
things  in  a  way  that  nobody  else  could,  so  that  those 
who  read  what  he  wrote,  or  heard  what  he  said, 
would  exclaim,  "That  is  just  what  I  think,  and  just 
what  I  feel."  Now,  this  man,  when  writing  once 
about  the  pleasantness  of  being  in  the  country,  said 
he  loved  to  be  there  because  he  could — 

"Find  tongues  in  trees,  books  in  the  running  brooks, 
Sermons  in  stones,  and  good  in  every  thing." 

And  this  is  all  true,  my  dear  children.  Perhaps  you 
never  thought  of  it,  but  it  is  still  true.  It  is  true 
there  are  "tongues  in  trees;"  it  is  true  there  are 
"books  in  the  running  brooks,"  as  they  flow  through 
the  fields,  and  the  woods.  It  is  true  that  there  are 
"sermons  in  stones;"  and  every  little  pebble  you 
pick  up  by  the  side  of  the  stream,  if  you  know  how 
to  think  of  it  rightly,  will  preach  a  sermon  to  you. 
It  will  tell  you  about  the  goodness  and  power  of 
God  in  a  better  way  than  I  can  do,  or  any  other 
living  preacher.  And  it  is  true  that  there  is  "good 
in  every  thing." 

And  now,  dear  children,  when  you  go  into  the 
country  this  summer,  I  hope  you  will  have  a  right 

103 


104  THE    MISSIONARY    AND    THE   LEAF. 

nice  time  of  it  in  wandering  through  the  sweet  fields 
and  woods ;  but  I  hope  yon  will  not  spend  all  the 
time  in  play.  See  if  yon  cannot  find  out  tongues 
in  the  trees,  or  hear  words  in  the  brooks,  or  find 
thoughts  in  the  flowers.  Yes!  every  leaf  has  a 
tongue,  and  every  little  flower.  They  all  tell  us  of 
God.  They  are  the  thoughts  of  God.  Somebody 
has  said  they  were  the  smiles  of  God.  But,  what- 
ever we  may  think  of  this,  we  know  they  all  have 
tongues  to  tell  us  something.  And,  if  we  only 
learn  to  understand  what  they  teach,  how  many  wise, 
and  profitable  things  may  we  learn  from  them  ! 

I  remember  reading  about  a  missionary,  who  was 
stationed  in  a  distant  country,  far  away  from  all  his 
friends  and  loved  ones  at  home.  He  had  many 
trials  to  bear.  At  first  he  bore  them  cheerfully.  He 
loved  his  work,  and  was  very  happy  in  attending  to 
it.  But,  after  a  while,  a  change  took  place  in  his 
feelings.  He  lost  his  trust,  and  confidence,  in  God, 
and  began  to  think  there  was  no  truth  in  what  he 
had  been  believing,  and  teaching.  He  had  doubts 
about  the  Bible,  and  the  truth  of  God's  word,  and 
even  doubted  whether  there  was  a  God  at  all,  who 
made  the  world  and  all  things ;  and  in  this  uncom- 
fortable state  of  mind  he  was  not  fit  to  preach  nor 
attend  to  any  of  his  duties. 

But  once,  while  going  on  horseback  to  preach, 
and  thinking  of  all  these  things, — of  his  unhappy 
state,  and  his  doubts  about  the  truth  of  what  he 
was  to  preach, —  his  way  led  him  along  a  thickly- 
shaded  path  ;  and,  as  he  went  on,  a  little  leaf  dropped 
from  one  of  the  trees  over  his  head,  and  came  shak- 


HOW   JESUS   TAUGHT.  105 

ing,  trembling  down,  (you  know  how  the  little 
leaves  fall,)  and  lighted  right  in  front  of  him,  on  the 
saddle.  He  picked  it  up,  looked  at  it,  turned  it 
over,  and,  as  the  sun  was  shining  through  the  trees, 
held  it  up  to  the  sunlight  and  saw  all  the  beautiful 
little  veins,  looking  like  a  delicate  piece  of  lace  or 
network.  He  thought,  "  Yes !  that  little  leaf  tells  me 
the  Bible  is  true, — tells  me  there  is  a  God;  for  none 
but  a  wise,  merciful,  good,  and  powerful  God  could 
have  made  a  little  leaf  like  that.  I  am  sure  it  is  all 
true,"  and  he  went  on  his  way  rejoicing,  feeling 
happy  and  thankful. 

Now,  dear  children,  didn't  that  leaf  have  a  tongue 
for  that  missionary?  Didn't  he  find  a  tongue  in  the 
tree  from  which  that  little  leaf  fell  down  ?  Cer- 
tainly he  did ;  and  if  we  will  only  consider  the 
flowers,  and  leaves,  that  God  has  made,  we  shall  find 
them  always  telling  us  about  God,  and  good  things. 

It  was  in  this  way,  dear  children,  that  our  Saviour 
taught  the  people  wise  and  good  things.  Once, 
when  he  was  walking  through  the  fields,  he  saw  a 
man  sowing,  when  he  began  to  preach  a  sermon 
about  sowing  the  seed.  Again,  while  going  along, 
he  saw  a  shepherd  leading  the  sheep  to  pasture, 
when  he  preached  a  sermon  about  the  Good  Shep- 
herd. And  yet,  again,  while  walking  by  the  lake, 
he  saw  some  fishermen  in  their  boats,  mending 
their  nets,  to  catch  fish,  when  he  preached  them 
a  sermon  about  being  fishers  of  men,  or  engag- 
ing in  the  ministry.  One  day,  being  under  a  shady 
vine,  and  seeing  the  beautiful  clusters  hanging 
down    from    the    branches,   he    compared    himself 


106  TnE  lily's  growth. 

to  the  vine,  and  his  people  to  the  branches,  and 
preached  a  sermon  about  that.  At  one  time  he  told 
the  people  about  the  little  birds ;  and  here  he  tells 
us  about  the  lilies: — "Consider  the  lilies  of  the 
field." 

Now,  we  are  going  to  try  to  learn  from  the  lilies 
this  afternoon.  The  lessons  we  are  about  to  con- 
sider, are  those  which  the  lily  teaches. 

There  are  four  lessons,  we  should  all  learn  from 
the  lily. 

In  the  first  place,  there  is  the  lesson  of  its  growth. 

The  lily,  in  its  beginning,  is  a  very  unpromising 
plant.  It  starts  out  of  the  earth,  from  an  ugly-look- 
ing bulb  or  root,  in  size,  and  shape,  something  like 
an  onion,  so  that,  without  knowing  what  the  lily  is, 
you  would  never  think  that  any  thing  beautiful  could 
come  out  of  that  unsightly,  and  unpromising,  little 
root.  Nobody  would  think  so.  But,  children,  put  it 
in  the  ground,  and  cover  it  up,  and  then  we  shall  see. 
God  will  make  the  rains,  and  dew,  come  down  upon 
it ;  he  will  make  the  sun  shine  upon  it,  and  warm 
it,  and  by-and-by  a  little  sprout  will  begin  to  grow, 
so  tender  that  you  could  take  it  with  your  finger  and 
thumb,  and  destroy  it  wTith  the  slightest  nip ;  and  yet 
it  has  the  power  to  thrust  aside  the  earth,  and  force  its 
way  through  the  ground,  until  it  comes  to  the  surface. 
Then,  when  it'feels  the  warm  sun,  and  fresh  air,  it 
grows  faster,  sprouts  up  higher  and  higher,  and  by- 
and-by  come  the  beautiful  green  leaves,  which  drink 
in  the  dew  and  rain,  and  seem  to  rejoice  in  the  sun- 
shine, when  it  falls  upon  them.  Then  the  pretty 
little  bud  comes  out  from  the  beautiful  leaves,  shows 


OUR   OWN    GROWTH.  107 

its  little  head,  grows  larger,  and  larger,  until  it  bursts 
into  the  beautiful  white  lily. 

Now,  all  the  people  in  the  world  could  not  make 
one  of  these  little  bulbs  grow  up  into  such  a  beau- 
tiful flower.  No:  God  alone  can  do  it.  Yet,  dear 
children,  the  growth  of  the  lily  is  just  like  our  own 
growth.  Suppose  we  take  one  of  these  little  girls, 
ov  little  boys,  seven  or  eight  years  old.  Their  eyes 
aie  bright  like  diamonds,  and  their  faces  rosy  with 
health,  and  life.  God  has  made  them  wrell ;  their 
little  faces  tell  it.  Suppose  I  ask  you,  "  What  are  you 
made  of?"  what  would  you  say  ?  "  Dust."  Yes !  dust; 
you  are  made  of  dust !  Suppose  one  of  you  should 
lie,  and  we  should  put  you  into  an  iron  coffin,  and 
bury  you  in  the  grave,  for  four,  or  five,  or  ten  years, 
and  then  take  the  coffin  up  and  open  it:  what  should 
we  find  in  it?  Dust! — a  little  heap  of  dark  dust, 
that  you  or  I  might  take  in  the  hollow  of  our  hand! 
These  bright  eyes  are  dust;  these  rosy  cheeks  are 
dust ;  these  active  limbs  are  dust ;  these  curling  ring- 
lets are  all,  all  dust!  '  God  has  made  them  grow  out 
of  dust.  Oh !  what  wonderful  power,  and  wisdom, 
God  must  have  to  make  these  beautiful  lilies  grow 
out  of  this  little  root,  and  make  these  eyes,  and 
cheeks,  and  hands,  and  feet,  and  bodies,  all  grow 
out  of  a  handful  of  dust ! 

What  a  lesson  the  growth  of  the  lily  teaches !  Yes, 
my  dear  children,  the  growth  of  the  lily,  and  our  own 
growth,  both  teach  us  a  lesson  of  the  power,  and 
wisdom  of  God. 

Now,  when  you  look  upon  the  lilies,  or  roses,  or 
beautiful  flowers  of  any  kind,  as  you  wander  in  the 


108  THE   LILY'S    nUMILITY. 

woods  this  summer,  when  you  sit  beside  the  pebbly 
brook,  or  under  the  shade  of  the  trees,  and  see  a 
little  flower  peeping  up  from  among  the  grass 
around  it,  stoop  down  and  pluck  it,  and  think  of 
this  text,  "Consider  the  lilies."  Consider  the  flow- 
ers, and  think  what  they  teach  of  the  power  of  God, 
and  the  wisdom  of  God  to  make  all  these  beautifu; 
things  come  out  of  the  dust !  Eemember,  then 
dear  children,  the  first  lesson : — the  lesson  of  it? 
growth. 

The  second  lesson,  which  the  lily  teaches  us,  is  the 
lesson  of  humility. 

It  teaches  us  the  lesson  of  humility  in  two  things 
about  it : — the  position  in  which  it  grows,  and  the  attitude 
which  it  assumes. 

The  lily  loves  to  grow  in  lonely  and  retired  places. 
It  loves  to  stay  in  the  background, — to  be  in  the 
shade.  It  is  the  "lily  of  the  valley."  You  do  not 
find  it  on  the  mountain-top,  or  growing  in  the 
streets,  or  garden-walks,  but  you  must  go  into  the 
retired  and  shady  places;  and  when  you  want  to  look 
for  its  flowers,  you  won't  find  them  the  first  thing 
you  see  in  the  garden,  but  you  must  go  into  the 
corners,  and,  when  you  get  there,  push  aside  the 
leaves,  and  there  you  will  see  the  beautiful  flower, 
all  alone,  in  the  seclusion  of  a  shady  corner.  It  is 
an  humble  flower,  and  it  teaches  a  lesson  of  humility 
in  the  place  in  which  it  grows. 

And  then,  its  attitude  shows  its  humility,  as  well 
as  its  position  ;  for,  when  the  lily  grows  up,  it  hangs 
its  head  down  as  though  it  wanted  to  hide  itself.  It 
does  not  spread  itself  out  like  the  proud  dahlia,  or 


109 

tulip,  as  much  as  to  sajT,  "  Ain't  I  a  beautiful 
flower  ?"  Oh,  no  ;  when  the  lily  gets  its  full  growth, 
and  its  beautiful  white  flowers  are  formed,  it  hangs 
down  its  head,  as  though  it  wished  to  hide  its  beauty, 
and  felt  that  it  had  nothing  to  be  proud  of  at  all, — ■ 
as  though  God  meant  the  very  form,  and  attitude  of 
this  flower,  should  teach  us  humility.  Now,  dear 
children,  humility  is  one  of  the  sweetest  things 
for  anybody  to  have,  and  especially  for  boys  and 
girls. 

Nothing  is  more  lovely  in  young  persons,  than  to 
be  humble, — to  cultivate  humility.  I  will  tell  you 
what  I  mean  by  humility. 

There  was  Mice  a  noolcman,  who  lived  in  a  fine 
country-plnvO.  who  was  the  behest,  and  greatest, 
man  in  all  that  country.  There  were  also  some  poor 
farmers,  who  lived  around  him,  w  no  used  to  hold  a 
prayer-meeting  once  a  week.  This  uooieuutL.  was  a 
very  pious  man,  and  he  thougat  he  would  iiise  ro  go 
to  their  prayer-meeting. 

The  first  time  he  went,  as  soon  as  he  ?per.ed  ino 
door  and  stepped  inside,  they  all  got  up,  as  sn.MiJfM 
they  could  not  go  on  with  their  meeting,  because  :ne 
nohleman  was  there.  Then  they  wanted  him  to  go 
up  and  take  the  best  seat.  He  said,  "  No,  my  friends ; 
sit  down  where  you  are,  and  I  will  sit  here  by  the 
door.  I  came  here,  a  poor  sinner,  like  the  rest  of 
you ;  we  are  all  on  a  level,  when  we  come  before 
God.  When  we  go  into  the  world,  God  has  been 
pleased  to  give  me  more  riches  than  you.  It  is  right 
that  some  respect  should  be  shown  to  this;  but 
when  we  meet  here,  we  all  meet  on  a  level,  as  sin- 

10 


110  a  missionary's  humility. 

ners  to  pray  for  God's  blessing."  This,  dear  chil- 
dren; is  one  example  of  humility.  ~No\v  let  mo  give 
you  another. 

You  have  all  heard  about  Dr.  Morrison,  a  mis- 
sionary to  China.  As  his  labor  was  great,  and  almost 
too  much  for  one  to  accomplish,  he  wanted  some 
one  to  help  him;  and  he  wrote  home  to  the  Mis- 
sionary Society,  in  England,  to  send  out  another 
missionary. 

When  they  got  his  letter,  they  set  to  work  to  in- 
quire among  their  friends  for  a  suitable  young  man, 
to  go  out  to  China,  as  a  missionary  to  help  Dr.  Mor- 
rison. After  a  while  a  young  man  from  the  country 
— a  pious  young  man,  who  loved  Jesus  Christ — came 
and  offered  himself.  He  was  poor,  had  poor  clothes 
on,  and  looked  like  a  countryman, — rough  and  un- 
polished. He  went  to  these  gentlemen,  was  intro- 
duced to  them,  and  had  a  talk  with  them.  They 
then  said  he  might  go  out  of  the  room,  till  they  con- 
sulted, with  each  other,  about  him.  When  he  was 
gone,  they  said  they  were  afraid  the  young  man 
would  never  do,  to  help  Dr.  Morrison ;  that  it  would 
not  do  to  send  him  as  a  missionary,  as  he  was  but  a 
rough  countryman.  Finally,  they  said  to  one  of 
their  number,  Dr.  Phillips,  "Doctor,  you  go  out  and 
tell  the  vounff  man  that  the  gentlemen  do  not  think 
him  fit  to  be  a  missionary,  but  if  he  would  like  to 
go  out  as  servant  to  a  missionary,  we  will  send  him." 
The  doctor  did  not  much  like  to  do  it;  but  he  told 
the  young  man  that  they  did  not  think  he  had  edu- 
cation enough,  and  a  great  many  other  things  neces- 
sary for  a  missionary,  but  if  he  would  go  as  a  ser 


THE    HUMILITY   OF   A    CniEF- JUSTICE.  Ill 

vant  they  would  send  him  out.  Now,  a  great  many 
would  have  said,  "ISTo,  you  don't  do  any  such  thing; 
if  I  can't  go  as  a  missionary,  I  won't  go  at  all ;  you 
don't  catch  me  going  as  anybody's  servant!"  But 
no,  children;  he  did  not  say  so.  He  calmly  said, 
"Very  well,  sir;  if  they  do  not  think  me  lit  to  be  a 
missionary,  I  will  go  as  a  servant;  I  am  willing  to 
be  a  hewer  of  wood,  or  drawer  of  water,  or  to  do 
any  thing  to  advance  the  cause  of  my  heavenly 
Master."  He  was  then  sent  out  as  a  servant,  but  he 
soon  got  to  be  a  missionary;  and  turned  out  to 
be  the  Rev.  Dr.  Milne,  one  of  the  best,  and  greatest 
missionaries  that  ever  went  out  to  any  country.  All 
this,  my  dear  children,  sprang  out  of  his  humility. 

One  time,  in  the  reign  of  George  III.,  King  of 
England,  there  was  a  learned  and  a  good-  man  who 
had  been  appointed  Chief-Justice  of  the  country, — 
one  of  the  highest,  and  most  honorable  offices  in 
England.  This  gentleman  had  a  son  about  sixteen 
years  of  age,  and  one  evening,  as  he  was  about  re- 
tiring, he  called  him  to  his  room,  and  said,  "  My 
son,  I  want  to  tell  you  the  secret  of  my  success  in 
life.  I  can  give  it  to  you  in  one  word, — humility. 
This  is  the  secret  of  it  all ;  because  I  never  tried  to 
push  myself  forward,  and  was  always  willing  to  take 
the  place  assigned  to  me,  and  do  the  best  I  could  in 
it.  And,  my  son,  if  you  want  to  be  successful,  learn 
humility." 

And  humility  is  a  very  lovely  trait,  and  beneficial 
not  only  to  ourselves,  as  in  the  case  of  this  justice, 
but  to  others,  as  I  will  now  show  you. 

A  young  preacher,  once,  of  the  Methodist  church, 


112  THE   YOUNG   MINISTER'S   HUMILITY. 

was  sent  out  on  a  circuit  to  preach  the  gospel.  Ho 
was  sent,  not  in  the  city,  but  in  the  country.  One 
evening,  as  he  was  going  upon  his  journey  to  preach, 
he  stopped  at  the  house  of  a  farmer,  who  was  also  a 
Methodist.  This  farmer,  though  a  good  man,  was 
sometimes  very  cross.  He  had  met  with  some  peo- 
ple who  deceived  him,  and  professed  to  be  what  they 
were  not.  When  the  minister,  therefore,  came  to 
his  house, — as  he  was  rather  rou°;h-lookin2:  and  un- 
educated,  though  the  love  of  God  was  in  his  heart, 
and  he  desired  to  preach  the  gospel, — he  told  the 
farmer  what  he  came  for.  The  farmer  was  very  cold 
to  him,  and  even  said  something  about  being  often 
deceived  by  people,  who  were  not  what  they  seemed 
to  be.  "There's  my  barn,"  said  he;  "put  up  your 
horse  in  the  barn."  He  had  plenty  of  servants,  and 
might  have  sent  one  of  them,  the  young  minister 
thought;  and  he  was  about  to  mount  his  horse  and 
go  on  his  way,  although  it  was  going  to  rain.  Then 
he  thought  he  would  not:  "That  is  not  the  way 
Jesus  would  have  done,"  he  said  to  himself;  so  he 
took  his  horse  to  the  barn,  and  went  to  the  house. 
When  he  came  to  the  front-door,  the  farmer  sent 
one  of  his  servants  to  take  him  round  to  the  kitchen ; 
and  when  there,  he  found  some  very  coarse  provi- 
sion spread  out  for  him  on  a  rough,  solitary  table. 
He  thought  it  very  strange,  and  the  servants  in  the 
kitchen  thought  it  strange  too,  that  their  master 
should  send  the  minister  to  the  kitchen.  The  young 
man  felt  much  hurt,  and  thought  he  could  not  stand 
it,  and  would  get  his  horse  and  go  on  again :   but 


THE   GOOD   EFFECT   OF   HUMILITY.  113 

he  said  to  himself,  "  Jesus  would  not  have  done  so ; 
I  will  try  to  be  humble,  like  Jesus." 

He  sat  down  to  eat  the  bread,  and  did  not  com- 
plain. After  a  while,  he  heard  the  bell  ring  for 
prayers,  and  he  went  in  with  the  servants  to  the 
room,  and  took  his  place.  The  farmer  read  a  chap- 
ter; and,  on  getting  through,  it  was  very  clear  he 
had  not  made  up  his  mind  whether  he  would  pray 
himself,  or  call  upon  the  minister.  At  last  he  called 
on  the  young  man,  and  asked  him  to  pray.  The 
minister  felt  glad  to  have  an  opportunity  of  praying ; 
and  when  he  began,  he  forgot  every  thing  but  the 
presence  of  God,  and  he  poured  out  his  feelings  in 
prayer  before  him.  His  heart  was  full,  and  his  feel- 
ings, which  had  been  wounded  by  what  he  had  just 
borne,  were  relieved  by  tears.  He  wept ;  the  ser- 
vants wept;  the  people  of  the  family  wept;  and  even 
the  farmer  himself  wept,  and  they  had  a  weeping 
time  of  it, —  all  kneeling  down,  and  all  melted  to 
tears.  "When  they  got  up,  the  farmer  came  to  the 
young  minister,  the  tears  running  down  his  cheeks, 
and  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  said,  "  Oh,  forgive  me, 
my  dear  friend  and  brother,  forgive  me ;  and  I  will 
pray  God  to  forgive  me,  too,  for  treating  you  so  un- 
kindly. I  do  not  know  what  is  the  matter  with  me. 
Satan  has  been  tempting  me  to  do  every  thing  that 
is  wrong.  I  am  ashamed  of  myself  for  treating  you 
so.  I  wonder  you  said  nothing  cross,  and  was  will- 
ing to  stay  when  I  sent  you  to  the  kitchen."  The  mi- 
nister said,  "  I  was  trying  to  do  like  Jesus,  and  as  he 
would  have  done;  and  I  hope  you  will  try  to  do  so 

too."    The  farmer  took  him  into  his  parlor  and  gave 

10* 


114  JESUS   THE   GREAT   EXAMPLE   OF   HUMILITY 

him  the  best  heel,  and  the  best  room  in  the  house  to 
occupy  that  night,  and  pressed  him  to  stay  two  or 
three  days.  He  consented  to  stay  the  next  day, 
when  they  had  a  meeting,  got  the  people  together, 
and  the  minister  preached.  That  sermon  was  blessed 
in  the  conversion  of  two  or  three  souls.  Two  or 
three  of  the  farmer's  family  were  converted  to  God, 
and  became  useful  Christians.  Oh,  what  a  blessed 
thing  it  was  for  that  farmer's  family,  and  for  that 
neighborhood,  that  this  minister  understood  hu- 
mility!— that  be  was  an  humble-minded  man,  and 
had  learned  the  lesson  of  humility  that  the  lily 
teaches,  and  that  Jesus  teaches ! 

Jesus  is  the  great  lesson  of  humility.  He  came  on 
earth  to  teach  us  to  be  humble.  He  came,  not  as  a 
full-grown  man,  but  as  a  little  child,  to  teach  us  hu- 
mility. He  was  born,  not  in  a  splendid  mansion,  or 
a  costly  palace,  but  in  a  stable,  and  his  cradle  was  a 
manger.  And  when  he  grew  up  to  be  a  man,  and 
went  about  preaching,  he  was  so  poor  that  he  had 
not  where  to  lay  his  head, — so  dependent  that  wo- 
men ministered  unto  him.  He  was  a  servant,  and 
not  a  master.  On  one  occasion,  when  his  disciples 
wTere  all  in  a  room  together,  he  took  a  towel,  and 
girded  himself.  Then  he  took  a  basin  of  water,  and 
washed  their  feet  and  wiped  them  with  the  towel. 
He  did  all  this  to  teach  us  the  lesson  of  humility. 

Now,  my  dear  children,  I  want  you  all  to  learn 
the  lesson  of  humility  which  Jesus  teaches,  and 
which  the  lily  teaches. 

The  third  lesson  the  lily  teaches  us,  is  the  lesson  of 
contentment. 


THE   LILY'S   CONTENTMENT.  115 

The  lily  is  satisfied  with  the  place  in  which  God 
has  put  it.  It  grows  there,  and  likes  it  better  than 
any  other;  and,  although  the  roses  are  out  in  the 
middle  of  the  garden,  the  lily  does  not  fret  nor  envy 
them;  and,  though  the  rose-bushes  are  much  larger, 
the  lily  is  satisfied  with  being  a  little  plant  that  can 
just  grow  up  in  the  shade,  and  lets  the  other  plants 
grow  up  above  it.  The  lily  is  contented  with  its 
position,  and  size,  and  color;  and,  although  the  rose 
has  its  beautiful  red,  and  the  lilacs  and  dahlias  have 
their  different  colors,  the  lily  has  only  the  one  beau- 
tiful white.  Indeed,  it  is  satisfied  with  its  color,  its 
place,  its  size,  and  all  that  God  has  made  it  to  be, 
and  have. 

Ah,  my  dear  children,  if  we  would  only  learn  this 
lesson,  how  happy  should  we  be !  Take  it  to  your 
homes,  and  when  you  get  up  in  the  morning  to  be 
dressed,  remember  the  lilies,  and  if  you  do  not  find 
your  bonnet  just  what  you  like,  be  content  with  it. 
And  if  you  do  not  find  your  coat,  your  collar,  or 
something  else  you  have  to  put  on,  exactly  what  you 
would  wish  it,  be  content  with  it,  and  remember  the 
lily.  How  happy  you  would  make  your  home,  and 
how  much  unhappiness  you  would  save  yourself! 

There  was  once  a  good  bishop  who  had  a  great 
many  things  to  vex  him  ;  but  he  never  murmured ; 
he  was  always  pleasant.  Some  one  said  to  him, 
"  "Well,  bishop,  I  should  like  to  know  what  is  your 
secret  of  always  being  so  happy.  You  have  a  great 
many  troubles,  trials,  and  difficulties,  but  I  never  see 
vou  worried,  nor  hear  you  complain  about  them. 
What  is  the  secret?"    "  Oh,  the  secret  is,  I  look  upj 


116         A  SHORT  RULE  ABOUT  FRETTING. 

my  object  is  to  get  to  heaven,  which  is  above.  I 
look  around,  and  I  see  a  great  many  people  having 
worse  trials  than  I  have,  and  I  am  satisfied  with  my 
lot.  I  look  to  the  graveyard,  and  see  that  when  I 
die,  I  am  only  to  occupy  a  space  six  feet  long  and 
eighteen  inches  wide,  and  I  am  satisfied  with  what 
I  now  have."  That  was  the  secret: — looking  up  to 
heaven,  hoping  to  get  there  at  last,  looking  around 
at  others  who  are  worse  off,  and  then  to  the  grave, 
in  which  we  must  all  soon  rest. 

Now,  children,  I  have  a  capital  rule  to  give  you 
about  fretting  and  grumbling, —  a  very  short  rule, 
which  it  is  worth  your  while  to  recollect,  if  you  want 
to  cultivate  contentment.  Now,  listen,  while  I  tell 
you  this  rule,  and  try  to  practise  it.  " Never  fret 
about  what  you  can't  help"  because  it  won't  do  any 
good.  u  Never  fret  about  what  you  can  help,"  because, 
if  you  can  help  it,  do  so.  When  you  are  tempted  to 
grumble  about  any  thing,  ask  yourself,  "  Can  I  help 
this?"  and  if  you  can't,  don't  fret;  but  if  you  can, 
do  so,  and  see  how  much  better  you  will  feel. 

Oh,  remember  this  little  rule !  I  want  all  these 
dear  children  to  begin  while  they  are  young  to  prac- 
tise it.  Before  you  go  to  bed  to-night  think  about 
it: — "Never  fret  about  what  you  can't  help,  nor  what 
you  can  help," — and  fret  not  at  all. 

I  will  tell  yon  one  more  story  about  contentment. 
I  remember  reading  a  fable  (you  know,  in  fables,  we 
make  things  talk  that  don't  know  how  to  talk)  about 
a  toad  and  a  plantain-leaf.  The  toad  used  to  live 
under  a  stone  beside  the  brook.  He  was  a  pretty, 
fat  toad,  and  got  along  in  the  world  about  as  well  as 


THE   DISCONTENTED   TOAD.  117 

toads  generally  do.  One  day  he  went  out  to  find 
something  to  eat,  and,  hopping  about  among  tho 
green  leaves  by  the  creek's  side,  he  heard  a  rustle 
among  the  leaves.  He  said  to  himself,  "  There's  a 
beetle !  I  like  beetles.  I'll  be  quiet  and  catch  him." 
So  he  crept  along  till  he  got  to  it,  and  stuck  out  his 
tongue  to  get  him,  but  it  happened  to  be  an  humble- 
bee!  He  dropped  it  like  a  hot  coal,  and  had  to  cry 
out  (in  the  way  toads  cry)  and  hop  back  to  his  hole 
under  the  stone.  He  suffered  with  the  pain,  and  his 
tongue  swelled  up,  and  he  was  obliged  to  lie  by  for 
two  or  three  days.  Hopping  back  to  his  home,  he 
plucked  a  leaf  of  the  plantain,  and  took  it  home  for 
his  medicine,  and  put  it  in  his  mouth,  to  cure  the 
sting  of  the  bee.  He  stayed  at  home  for  two  or 
three  days,  and  began  to  get  hungry,  and  poor,  and 
lean.  So  he  thought  he  would  go  out,  and  find 
something  to  eat.  As  he  hopped  along,  he  came 
under  the  leaf  of  a  plantain, — (now,  this  plant  has 
very  broad  and  large  leaves,  and  they  make  quite  a 
shade,) — and,  being  very  tired  and  hungry,  he  stopped 
under  the  leaf,  and,  looking  up,  said,  "  Oh,  what  a 
nice  time  you  plantains  have !  I  should  like  to 
change  places  with  you.  Toads  have  a  very  hard 
life."  The  plantain  said,  "Friend  toad,  I  should 
like  to  change  too.  I  don't  see  what  toads  can  com- 
plain of;  I  think  they  must  have  a  fine  time  of  it." 
"Let  me  tell  you,"  said  the  toad: — "In  the  first 
place,  we  have  to  work  for  our  living,  and  find  all 
we  get  to  eat ;  and  sometimes,  when  we  think  we 
are  going  to  get  a  beetle,  we  get  an  humble-bee. 
Then,  again,  in  winter-time,  we  get  frozen  up,  and, 


118  THE   TOAD   NOT    STICKING   TO   HIS   BARGAIN. 

when  we  come  out,  the  boys  come  along  and  stone 
us,  the  crows  pick  us  up,  and  we  have  a  great  many 
troubles  of  this  kind;  while  you  plantains  just  have 
to  sit  by  the  river,  and  don't  have  to  work.  When 
the  rain  comes  upon  you  it  makes  you  grow  and 
feeds  you.  I  should  like  very  much  to  change  places 
with  you."  "But  stop!  let  me  tell  you  my  side 
too.  We  plantains  cannot  hop  about  as  you  can, 
but  have  to  stand  just  where  we  are  placed ;  and,  if 
we  want  a  drink  of  water,  we  can't  go  to  the  creek 
and  get  it.  We  can't  move  an  inch  to  see  the  world, 
or  visit  our  next  neighbor.  Then,  the  sun  shines 
hot  upon  us  all  da}r,  and  we  have  to  bear  it,  and 
can't  hop  under  a  nice  cool  leaf  as  you  do.  Then, 
by-and-by,  comes  along  a  cow  and  nips  off  our  head, 
or  a  little  worm  and  eats  into  our  heart,  and  we  have 
not  power  to  shake  him  off.  I  should  like  to  change 
places  with  you.  You  take  mine  and  I  will  take 
yours ;  for  I  am  so  anxious  to  hop  down  to  the  creek 
and  get  a  drink.  I  have  not  had  a  sip  for  months." 
"  Stay !  stay !"  said  the  toad  ;  "  I  hear  a  cricket ;  let 
me  get  it !"  and  off  he  went  for  the  cricket,  but  never 
came  back.  The  plantain  said  he  thought  the  toad 
was  "a  very  shabby  sort  of  fellow." 

Thus,  my  dear  children,  it  appears  that  everybody 
has  trials ;  and  the  only  way  to  get  along  is,  not  to 
be  wishing  for  what  we  cannot  get,  but  to  learn  the 
lily's  lesson  of  contentment,  and  be  satisfied  with 
what  God  has  given  us. 

The  last  lesson  the  lily  teaches  is,  the  lesson  of  its 
beauty.  Oh,  if  I  only  had  one  here,  you  could  see 
for  yourselves,  how  beautiful  it  is  !     There  are  three 


THE   LILY'S   BEAUTY.  119 

things  in  which  its  beauty  consists : — its  form,  its 
color,  and  its  fragrance.  It  grows  into  a  beautiful 
rounded  flower,  and  has  no  sharp  edges  or  corners. 
Then,  its  color  shows  its  beauty.  It  is  a  beautiful 
pure  white.  It  is  satisfied  with  one  shade,  and  don't 
want  red,  or  yellow,  or  purple,  or  blue,  or  pink,  but 
is  contented  to  be  a  beautiful  white  lily.  Then,  its 
fragrance  forms  a  part  of  its  beauty.  It  perfumes  the 
air,  and,  before  you  see  it,  you  say,  "  There's  a  lily 
about  here."  You  search  for  it,  and  trace  it  by  its 
scent,  until  you  find  its  little  head,  in  all  its  beauty, 
hidden  among  the  leaves.  There  is  also  another 
thing  in  which  I  may  say  its  beauty  lies.  It  is  a 
type  of  Christ  our  Saviour.  He  calls  himself  the 
"Lily  of  the  Valley"  and  the  "Kose  of  Sharon." 
The  form,  and  color,  and  fragrance,  of  the  lily  are 
all  emblems  to  us  of  the  beauty  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
of  what  Jesus  will  make  us,  if  we  are  his  children. 

May  God  give  us  all  grace  to  be  humble  and  con- 
tented !  May  he  help  us  to  learn  and  practise  these 
lessons !  for  in  so  doing  we  shall  find  greater  happi- 
ness and  comfort  than  in  any  thing  else. 

Now,  children,  during  the  summer,  when  you  go 
into  the  fields  and  woods,  oh,  remember  this  text, — 
"Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field," — and  learn  the 
lessons  of  their  growth,  their  humility,  their  con- 
tentment, and  their  beauty. 

My  dear  children,  remember  them ;  don't  be  satis- 
fied with  having  them  in  your  heads,  but  try  to  get 
them  in  your  hearts,  and  keep  them  there.  Don't  be 
satisfied  with  talking  about  them,  but  try  and  ^>ractise 
them,  especially  these  two, —  humility  and  content- 


120  THE   USE   OP   THESE   LESSONS. 

ment, — which  the  lily  so  beautifully  teaches.  Again, 
you  must  begin  to  practise  them  now,  while  }<o ung. 
It  will  be  better  for  you  than  thousands  of  gold  or 
silver,  or  the  richest  fortune  you  could  possibly 
have,  or  the  greatest  luxuries  this  world  can  afford. 

Pray  God  to  give  you  grace  to  be  humble,  aud 
contented,  and  to  learn  wisdom  from  the  flowers  of 
the  field.  When  you  see,  or  think  of  these  flowers, 
lift  up  your  thoughts  to  him  who  made  them  and 
you;  and  that  glorious  Saviour,  who  likened  himself 
to  the  lilies,  will  teach  you  to  find  beauties  in  na- 
ture, and  in  every  thing  around  you. 

Kemember,  then,  dear  children,  the  lessons  you 
have  heard  ;  and  may  God  bless  them  to  you,  and  to 
me,  and  to  us  all! 


THE  GIFT  FOR  GOD. 

ProV.  XXIII.  26 :  My  son,  give  me  thine  heart ! 


Suppose   the  angel   Gabriel   should   come  down 

from  heaven,  and  stand  here  before  us  all,  dressed 

in  shining  white,  with  his  face  brighter  than  the 

sun. :  what  a  beautiful  sight  he  would  present !    And 

suppose  he  should  take  a  roll  of  paper  from  his 

bosom,  and  say  he  had  a  list  of  names,  that  God 

had  given  him,  of  fifty  girls,  and  fifty  boys,  and  that 

God  wanted  all  of  them  to  give  him  something 

which  they  had;    and  suppose  he  should  begin  to 

unroll  the  paper,  and  say  that  he  was  going  to  read 

out  the  names,  and  tell  us  what  it  was  that  God 

wanted :    how  strange  we  should  feel !     Each  one 

would  be  saying  to  himself,  "  I  wonder  if  my  name 

is  there ;    I  wonder  what  he  wants   me   to  give." 

And  when  you  heard  your  name  read  out,  how  glad 

you  would  feel !     And  suppose  the  angel  should  say 

that  he  wanted  you  to  go  home,  and  get  what  he 

was  sent  for,  that  he  might  take  it  back  with  him : 

how  gladly  you  would  go  !  how  quickly  you  would 

run !  how  soon  you  would  be  back,  and  bring  him 

what  he  wanted  !     No  matter  what  it  might  be, — if 

it  was  your  most  valuable  book,  or  your  favorite 

plaything,  your   nicest  doll,  your  new  bonnet,  or 

11    '  121 


122  WIIAT    WE   DO    WITH    OUR    HEARTS. 

dress,  or  cap,  or  coat, — something  that  .you  prized 
most  of  all  that  you  possessed, —  how  gladly  you 
would  bring  it ! 

But,  my  dear  children,  there  is  no  angel  here. 
There  is  only  a  man  speaking  to  you ;  but  still  it  is 
a  minister  of  God  who  is  speaking,  and  it  is  a  mes- 
sage from  God  that  he  has  to  deliver.  He  comes  to 
tell  you  of  something  which  you  have,  that  God 
wants.  Listen  what  the  text  says  ;  it  is  God  who  is 
speaking  in  the  language  of  the  text ;  it  is  God  who 
says,  "My  son,  give  me  thine  heart." 

[Now,  there  are  two  things  I  wish  to  talk  about,  in 
connection  with  these  words. 

The  first  is : —  What  it  means  to  give  God  our  hearts. 

The  second  is  : —  Why  ice  should  give  them  to  him. 

Now,  my  dear  children,  you  will  notice  that  God 
does  not  ask  us  to  give  him  our  heads,  nor  our 
hands,  nor  our  feet.  Is  not  this  strange  ?  Yet  there 
is  a  reason  for  it.  What  do  we  do  with  our  heads  ? 
"We  think  with  them.  What  do  we  do  with  our 
hands?  We  work  with  them?  What  do  we  do 
with  our  feet?  We  walk  with  them.  But  we  don't 
do  any  of  these  things  with  our  hearts ;  that  is  not 
what  our  hearts  are  for. 

Look !  here  is  a  little  boy  who  has  just  returned 
to  his  home.  He  finds  his  father  there,  and  he 
hastens  to  him  and  throws  his  arms  around  hi  a 
neck,  and  says,— 

"  Oh,  my  dear  father,  I  do  love  you  with  all 
my "  what? — why,  heart,  to-be-sure! 

Then,  what  is  it  that  we  do  with  our  hearts  ?  Why, 
we  love  with  them.     Yes,  my  dear   children,  our 


THE   IMPORTANCE   OF   A   PLACE   FOR   EVERY   THING.  123 

hearts  were  made  for  this.     The  heart  is  the  seat,  or 
place  of  the  affections. 

In  a  large  city,  like  this  in  which  we  live,  there 
are  different  places  where  different  things  are  made. 
There  is  the  Mint,  in  Chestnut  Street,  where  they 
make  money;  and  the  Navy-yard,  down  in  South- 
wark,. where  they  build  ships.  And  then  we  have 
printing-offices,  where  books  are  made ;  and  ma- 
chine-shops, where  engines  and  locomotives  are 
built ;  and  tailors'  shops,  where  gentlemen's  clothes 
are  made;  and  milliners'  shops,  where  ladies'  bon- 
nets are  made ;  and  confectioners'  stores,  where 
cakes  and  sweetmeats  are  furnished;  and  apothe- 
caries' stores,  where  medicines  are  prepared  and 
sold.  It  would  be  impossible,  in  a  great  city,  to 
have  one  place  which  could  furnish  all  these  differ- 
ent things.  And  so  it  is  in  any  great  manufacturing 
establishment.  There  are  a  great  many  different 
things  to  be  done;  and  these  are  done,  not  all  toge- 
ther, but  each  separately,  and  in  a  different  place. 
I  remember  once  visiting  the  Bible-house,  in  the 
city  of  New  York.  This  is  an  immensely  large 
building,  belonging  to  the  American  Bible  Society, 
and  where  Bibles  are  made  to  be  distributed  all  over 
the  world.  The  whole  building  is  occupied  in  mak- 
ing Bibles.  But  of  all  the  multitude  of  rooms  in 
this  great  building,  each  one  is  occupied  with  some 
particular  branch  of  the  work.  This  particular 
work  is  done  in  that  one  room  alone,  and  nowhere 
else.  There  is  one  room  where  the  paper  is  moist- 
ened, and  made  fit  for  printing  on;  and  another 
where  the  types  are  set  up;  and  another  where  the 


124       THE    HEART,  THE   PLACE    FOR   THE    AFFECTIONS. 

printing  is  done;  and  then  there  is  a  drying-room, 
and  a  pressing-room,  and  a  sorting-room,  and  a 
stitching-room,  and  a  binding-room,  and  a  gilding- 
room,  and  a  finishing-room,  and  a  packing-room. 
The  packing  is  never  done  in  the  printing-room,  nor 
the  printing  in  the  packing-room.  Each  part  of  the 
work  is  done  by  itself,  and  kept  separate  from  the 
rest.  And  just  so  it  is  with  our  frames,  our  bodies, 
and  souls.  Every  man,  woman,  or  child,  is  like  a 
great  machine-shop.  A  multitude  of  things  are  to 
be  done,  and  there  is  a  separate  place  for  the  doing 
of  each.  There  is  much  seeing  to  be  done,  and  the 
eyes  are  appointed  to  attend  to  this.  There  is  much 
hearing  to  be  done,  and  the  ears  are  made  for  this. 
And  then  we  have  the  nose  for  smelling,  and  the 
tongue  for  tasting,  and  the  finger-ends  for  feeling, 
and  the  brain  for  thinking,  and  the  heart  is  that  part 
of  our  frame  which  has  to  do  with  the  affections. 
The  heart,  you  know,  is  situated  right  in  the  centre 
of  the  body.  When  we  speak  about  the  heart,  we 
generally  place  our  hand  upon  the  left  side,  as  if  the 
heart  were  situated  just  there.  But  it  is  no  nearer 
the  left  side  than  the  right,  only  we  can  feel  its 
beatings  more  distinctly  there.  Its  true  place  is  in 
the  centre  of  the  body.  The  heart,  you  know,  my 
dear  children,  is  a  hard  substance,  almost  round,  and 
about  as  large  as  one's  fist.  It  is  divided  into  four 
little  chambers. .  Two  of  these  are  employed  in 
pumping  the  blood  into  the  heart,  and  the  other  two 
in  pumping  it  out.  And  this  pumping  is  going  on 
day  and  night,  all  the  time,  from  the  moment  we 
begin  to  live,  until  we  die.    You  can  feel  this  pump- 


GOD   WANTS    OUR    AFFECTIONS.  125 

mg  when  you  lay  your  hand  upon  your  left  side. 
And  if  you  lie  very  still  at  night,  when  you  are 
upon  your  bed,  you  can  hear  it.  But  is  this  what 
God  wants?  Does  he  wish  us  to  take  these  real 
hearts  out  of  our  bodies  and  give  them  to  him  ? 

Oh,  not  at  all !  We  read  about  a  nation  who  used 
to  worship  their  idol-god  in  this  way.  The  Peru- 
vians, who  lived  in  South  America,  used  to  make 
offerings  to  their  idols  in  this  manner : — they  would 
drag  persons  into  the  temple  of  their  god,  and  lay 
them  on  a  table  or  altar  before  his  image,  and  take 
out  their  hearts,  and  present  them,  all  smoking 
and  quivering,  and  almost  alive,  as  an  offering  to 
him. 

But,  my  dear  children,  this  is  not  what  God  wants 
of  us.  It  is  not  the  literal  heart  that  God  wants. 
He  speaks  of  the  heart  here  in  the  way  of  figure,  as 
the  place  where  our  affections  lie ;  and  what  he 
wants  us  to  give  him  is  not  the  fleshly  hearts  out  of 
our  bodies,  but  the  affections  which  are  seated  in 
these  hearts.  When  he  says,  "  My  son,  give  me  thine 
heart,"  he  means,  My  son,  give  me  thy  love ;  give 
me  thy  affections;  set  thy  affections  on  me;  love  me 
above  all  things. 

This  is  what  the  text  means  when  God  says  in  it, 
"My  son,  give  me  thine  heart." 

Now,  this  is  the  answer  to  the  first  question  that 
we  proposed, — what  it  means  to  give  our  hearts  to 
God. 

The  second  question  is: — Why  ice  should  give  our 
hearts  to  God? 

There  are  two  reasons  for  this. 
11* 


126     GOD    HAS   THE   BEST   RIGHT   TO    OUR   AFFECTIONS. 

In  the  first  place,  we  should  give  our  hearts  to 
God,  because  he  has  the  best  right  to  them. 

He  made  them  for  himself,  and  they  belong  to 
him.  There  is  a  place  in  our  hearts,  in  our  affec- 
tions, which  God  designed  for  himself  to  fill  or  oc- 
cupy, and  nothing  else  but  God  can  fill  that  place ; 
and,  unless  God  does  fill  it,  we  never  shall  be  happy, 
either  in  this  world  or  in  the  world  to  come.  And 
if  God  made  our  hearts  on  purpose  that  we  might 
love  him  with  them,  surely  this  is  the  best  reason  in 
the  world  why  we  should  give  them  to  him. 

Suppose  a  little  girl  should  spend  a  holiday  in 
dressing  her  doll,  or  a  little  boy  in  making  a  kite  or 
a  boat,  and  just  when  they  were  finished, — the  doll 
all  dressed,  looking  very  sweetlv,  and  the  kite  ready 
to  fly,  or  the  boat  to  sail, — some  one  should  come 
along  and  take  it  away  with  violence :  how  wrong 
it  would  be ! 

Suppose  a  gentleman  should  build  himself  a  beau- 
tiful house,  and  fit  it  up  for  his  own  use,  and,  just 
as  he  was  getting  ready  to  move  into  it,  and  live 
there,  one  of  his  neighbors  should  get  in,  and  not 
be  willing  to  let  him  enter  and  live  in  the  house 
that  he  made  for  himself:  how  unjust  that  would 
be !  That  man  would  have  no  right  to  the  house. 
That  girl  would  have  no  right  to  the  doll,  or  that 
boy  to  the  kite  or  boat.  The  house,  the  doll,  the 
kite,  or  boat,  each  belonged  to  the  person  who  had 
made  it,  and  no  one  else  had  any  right  to  it. 

What  should  we  call  the  person  who  should  act 
in  this  way  ?     We  should  call  him  a  robber. 

Just  so  it  is,  my  dear  children,  with  our  hearts. 


ROBBING    GOD.  127 

God  made  them  for  himself.  God  desires  to  keep 
our  hearts.  He  wishes  to  come  in  and  dwell  in 
them.  He  wishes  to  possess  our  affections.  He  de- 
sires that  we  should  love  him  above  all  things. 

He  says  in  one  place  in  the  Bible,  "Behold,! 
stand  at  the  door  [of  your  hearts]  and  knock :  if 
any  man  hear  my  voice,  and  open  the  door,  I  will 
come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him  ;"  but  until 
we  are  ready  to  give  our  hearts  to  God, — to  set 
our  affections  on  him, — we  are  unwilling  to  let  him 
come  in  and  dwell  in  the  place  he  made  for  himself 
to  dwell  in.  Surely,  this  is  robbing  God  ! — robbing 
him  of  what  he  made  for  himself, — of  that  which  he 
desires  to  possess  above  all  things  !  Oh,  how  great 
the  wickedness  those  commit  who  refuse  to  give  God 
their  hearts !  How  many  people  there  are  who  would 
be  ashamed  to  rob  their  fellow-creatures,  who  are  not 
ashamed  to  rob  their  God !  How  many  people  we 
find  who  would  not  take  a  dollar,  a  cent,  a  farthing, 
a  pin,  from  one  of  their  fellow-creatures,  who  do  not 
hesitate  to  take  from  God  all  the  affection  which 
belongs  to  him,  and  rob  him  of  those  hearts,  those 
affections,  which  he  has  made  for  himself! 

God  once  sent  a  prophet  to  ask  the  Jewish  nation 
a  very  singular  and  startling  question:  (Mai.  iii.  8.) 
I  think  it  must  have  surprised  them  very  much 
when  they  heard  the  question.  It  was  this  : — "  Will 
a  man  rob  God?" 

We  are  not  told  what  the  Jews  said  to  the  pro- 
phet when  they  heard  his  question.  I  dare  say 
they  were  ready  to  exclaim,  at  once,  "  Why,  no ! 
surely,  nobody  can  be  found  guilty  of  such  enor- 


128  HOW    GOD    IS   ROBBED. 

mous  wickedness !"  But,  before  they  Lad  time  to 
say  any  thing,  God  answered  the  question  himself. 
He  charged  the  dreadful  guilt  of  this  sin  upon  them. 
He  said,  "  Yet  ye  have  robbed  me,  even  this  whole 
nation."  And  then,  as  if  he  thought  they  would 
ask,  in  surprise,  "Why,  how  have  we  done  this?" 
he  said,  "In  tithes  and  offerings."  The  tithes,  here 
spoken  of,  referred  to  the  tenth  part  of  all  their 
gains,  and  the  produce  of  their  grounds,  which  God 
required  them  to  present  as  offerings  to  him.  And 
when  they  failed  to  do  it,  God  said  they  were  rob- 
bing him.  And  if  God  called  them  robbers  because 
they  would  not  give  him  the  money,  or  the  cattle, 
or  grain,  that  belonged  to  him,  how  much  more  will 
he  consider  us  as  robbers,  if  we  refuse  to  give  him 
our  hearts  or  affections,  which  he  so  earnestly  de- 
sires, and  which  he  made  on  purpose  that  they 
might  be  given  to  him !  Bear  this  in  mind,  then, 
my  dear  children,  that  if  we  do  not  set  our  affec- 
tions on  God,  and  love  him  better  than  any  thing 
else,  we  are  robbers ;  and  the  worst  kind  of  robbers 
too,  for  we  are  robbing  God.  We  ought  to  give  our 
hearts  to  God,  because  he  made  them,  and  has  the 
best  right  to  them. 

But,  again,  we  ought  to  give  our  hearts  to  God, 
because  he  can  make  the  best  use  of  them. 

What  sort  of  hearts  are  ours  when  we  are  born 
into  this  world?  Are  they  good  or  holy?  No. 
What  do  the  Scriptures  say  of  the  heart?  They 
say,  "  The  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things,  and 
desperately  wicked." 

And  what  can  God  do  for  hearts  like  these  ?    Be 


god's  truth  the  means  of  renewing  the  heart.  129 

can  make  them  new.  God  lias  promised  in  his  word, 
(Ezek.  xxxvi.  26,)  saying,  "A  new  heart  will  I  give 
you,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put  within  you ;  and  I 
will  take  away  the  heart  of  stone,  and  give  you  a 
heart  of  flesh."  When  our  Saviour  was  talking  with 
Nicodemus,  he  said  it  was  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  that  God  caused  his  people  to  be  born  again, 
or  to  have  their  hearts  made  new.  A.nd  the  Apostle 
James  (i.  18)  tell  us  what  are  the  means  which  the 
Holy  Spirit  makes  use  of,  in  accomplishing  this 
work.  lie  says,  "Of  his  own  will  begat  he  us,  with 
the  word  of  truth.'"  The  truth  of  his  blessed  word — 
that  is,  the  truth  of  the  Bible — is  what  the  Spirit 
employs  for  this  purpose.  Nobody  can  tell  how  this 
great  change  takes  place.  We  only  know  that  it  is 
a  change  which  the  Holy  Spirit  works,  and  that  he 
makes  use  of  the  truth  of  the  Bible  in  order  to 
bring  it  about.  But  there  is  the  greatest  difference 
in  the  world,  my  dear  children,  between  an  old  heart 
and  a  new  heart, — between  the  heart  we  have  by  na- 
ture, and  the  heart  when  it  is  made  new  by  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

I  remember,  some  time  ago,  seeing  pictures  of 
these  two  hearts  in  a  book.  In  one  of  these  pictures, 
of  the  old  heart, — the  natural  heart, — Satan  was  re- 
presented as  sitting  in  the  midst  of  it,  while  frogs, 
and  toads,  and  lizards,  and  other  reptiles,  were 
creeping  in  and  out  of  it,  illustrating  the  bad  tem- 
pers an  I  dispositions  which  belong  to  the  natural 
heart.  In  the  picture  of  the  new  heart,  Jesus  was 
represented  as  sitting  in  the  midst  of  it,  while  light 
was  streaming  down   upon   it  from   above,  and  a 


130     A   PICTURE    OF    THE    OLD    HEART,  AND    THE    NEW. 

dove,  representing  God's  Holy  Spirit,  was  hovering 
over  it. 

The  old  heart  is  proud,  and  cross,  and  disobe- 
dient, and  selfish,  and  obstinate.  The  new  heart  is 
humble,  and  gentle,  and  kind,  and  obedient,  and 
holy,  and  good. 

God  has  given  us  in  his  word  a  picture  of  these 
two  hearts.  You  will  find  it  in  the  fifth  chapter  of 
the  epistle  to  the  Galatians.  The  natural,  or  old 
heart,  there,  is  described  as  being  filled  with  things 
like  these:  —  "Adultery,  fornication,  uncleanness, 
lasciviousness,  idolatry,  witchcraft,  hatred,  variance, 
emulations,  wrath,  strife,  seditions,  heresies,  envy- 
ings,  murders,  drunkenness,  revellings,  and  such 
like."  But  the  renewed  heart  is  represented  as 
being  filled  with  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  which  are 
these:  —  "Love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentle- 
ness, goodness,  faith,  meekness,  temperance."  What 
a  contrast  between  these  two  hearts ! 

It  will  be  better  for  us,  my  dear  children,  to  have 
our  hearts  made  new  than  to  possess  thousands  of 
gold  and  silver ;  but  none  can  make  these  wicked 
hearts  new  but  God  himself;  and  it  is  for  this  reason 
he  desires  us  to  give  our  hearts  to  him,  that  he  may 
make  them  new. 

But,  again,  God  icill  make  our  hearts  clean,  and  holy  as 
well  as  new.  This  is  another  reason  why  we  should 
give  them  to  him.  !No  heart  ever  can  be  made  clean 
till  it  is  first  made  new.  What  a  sad  -thinaj  it  is  to 
have  a  heart  that  never  has  been  cleansed  !  What 
would  you  think  of  a  boy  who  had  lived  till  he  was 
twelve  or  fourteen  years  old,  and  never  had  his  face 


THE    HEART    CLEANSED   BY   TnE   WORD.  131 

washed  ?  How  frightful  he  would  seem  !  And  yet, 
my  dear  children,  how  much  worse  it  is  to  have  a 
heart  that  has  never  been  washed  or  made  clean  ! — 
a  heart  all  denied  by  sin,  and  which  has  been  getting 
worse  and  worse  every  day.  But  how  many  such 
hearts  there  are!  and  they  never  can  be  washed,  and 
made  clean,  until  we  bring  them  to  God,  that  he  may 
cleanse  them.  And  the  way  in  which  God  cleanses 
wicked  hearts,  and  makes  them  holy,  is  by  his  word. 
We  read  in  one  place  in  the  Bible  that  it  is  "  with 
the  washing  of  water  by  the  word,"  that  he  cleanses 
wicked  hearts  and  makes  them  pure  and  holy.  The 
meaning  of  this  is,  that  just  as  we  wash  our  hands, 
or  our  clothes,  when  they  are  dirty,  and  make  them 
clean  in  water,  so  by  his  word, — the  water  of  his 
truth, —  does  God  cleanse  sinful  hearts  and  make 
them  pure.  Let  me  give  you,  now,  an  illustration 
of  what  I  mean  by  this. 

"A  clergyman  was  once  walking  near  a  brook, 
when  he  observed  a  woman,  washing  wool  in  a 
stream.  This  was  done  by  putting  it  in  a  sieve,  and 
then  dipping  the  sieve  into  the  water  repeatedly, 
until  the  whole  became  white  and  clean. 

"He  entered  into  conversation  with  the  woman, 
and,  from  some  expression  she  used  while  she  was 
speaking,  he  asked  her  if  she  knew  him. 

'"Oh,  yes,  sir,'  she  replied;  'and  I  hope  I  shall 
have  reason  to  bless  God  through  eternity,  from 
having  heard  you  preach  some  years  ago.  Your 
sermon  was  the  means  of  doing  me  great  good.' 

" '  I  rejoice  to  hear  it,'  said  the  clergyman.  'Pray, 
what  was  the  subject?' 


132  THE    WOOL-WASHER    AND    HER    SIEVE. 

" '  Oh,  sir,  I  cannot  recollect  that,  my  memory  is 
bo  bad.' 

" '  Well,  how,  then,  can  the  sermon  have  done  you 
so  much  good,  if  you  don't  remember  even  what  it 
was  about  ?' 

"'Sir,'  said  the  woman,  'my  mind  is  like  this 
sieve.  The  sieve  does  not  hold  the  water ;  but,  as 
the  water  runs  through,  it  cleanses  the  wool.  So 
my  memory  does  not  retain  the  words  I  hear,  but  as 
they  pass  through  my  heart,  by  God's  grace,  they 
cleanse  it.  Kow  I  no  longer  love  sin,  and  every  day 
entreat  my  Saviour  to  wash  me  in  his  own  blood, 
and  cleanse  me  from  all  sin.'" 

Thus  it  was  that  this  good  woman  had  her  heart 
cleansed,  "  with  the  washing  of  water  by  the 
word." 

Surely,  then,  dear  children,  this  is  a  good  reason 
wdry  we  should  give  our  hearts  to  God, — because  he 
can  make  the  best  use  of  them :  he  can  make  them 
clean. 

But  God  will  not  only  make  our  hearts  new  and  clean  ; 
he  will  also  make  them  happy.  And  surely  this  is  a 
good  reason  why  we  shall  give  them  to  him.  We 
never  can  be  happy  until  our  hearts  are  made  new. 
Suppose  your  arm  was  broken,  or  out  of  joint :  could 
you  ever  have  any  comfort  in  using  it  while  in  that 
position?  Of  course  not.  The  more  you  used  it, 
the  more  uncomfortable  it  would  make  you  feel. 
You  must  get  the  bone  set,  or  the  joint  replaced,  if 
you  ever  wish  to  use  it  again  with  comfort.  And 
just  so  it  is  with  our  hearts.  Until  they  are  renewed 
by  God's  grace,  wre  can  have  no  more  comfort,  no 


A   BEAUTIFUL    COLLECT.  133 

more  enjoyment,  with  them,  than  we  could  with  a 
broked  or  a  disjointed  limb.  And  we  never  shall 
find  any  real  happiness  or  comfort  until  these  hearts 
are  renewed ;  and  it  is  because  God  knows  this  so 
well,  that  he  desires  us  to  bring  our  hearts  aud  give 
them  to  him. 

Now,  God  has  told  us,  my  clear  children,  what  he 
wants  of  us.  He  has  told  us  whom  he  wants  it  of. 
He  wants  it  of  each  one  of  you. 

Let  me,  before  closing,  ask  you  the  question,  Will 
you  give  God  your  heart  ?  Will  you  begin  to-day 
and  pray  for  him  to  give  you  the  help  of  his  Holy 
Spirit,  that  your  heart  may  be  made  clean  and  new, 
and  you  may  find  that  happiness  and  peace  which 
can  only  be  found  by  those  who  know  and  love 
him? 

There  is  a  beautiful  collect  in  the  Prayer-book, 
which  is  very  suitable  for  those  to  use  who  desire  to 
give  their  hearts  to  God,  that  they  may  be  made 
new  and  clean.  It  is  the  collect  for  Ash- Wednesday. 
There  we  are  taught  to  say, — 

"Almighty  and  everlasting  God,  who  hatest  no- 
thing; that  thou  hast  made,  and  dost  forgive  the  sins 
of  all  those  who  are  penitent,  create  and  make  in 
us,  new,  and  contrite  hearts,  that  we,  worthily  lament- 
ing our  sins,  and  acknowledging  our  wretchedness, 
may  obtain  of  thee,  the  God  of  all  mercy,  perfect 
remission  and  forgiveness,  through  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord.   Amen." 

And  then  there  is  a  very  sweet  hymn  in  the  Sun- 
day-school Hymn-book,  which  any  one  may  use  as  a 
prayer  who  desires  to  obtain   this   greatest  of  all 


134  PRAYER    FOR   A    NEW    HEART. 

blessings  that  we  can  ask,  or  God  can  give.     It  ia 
this: — 

"Oh  for  a  heart  to  praise  my  God, — 
A  heart  from  sin  set  free  ; 
A  heart  made  clean  by  thy  rich  blood 
So  freely  shed  for  me. 

"A  heart  resign'd,  submissive,  meek, 
My  great  Redeemer's  throne ; 
Where  only  Christ  is  heard  to  speak, 
Where  Jesus  reigns  alone. 

"An  humble,  lowly,  contrite  heart, 
Believing,  true,  and  clean; 
Which  neither  life,  nor  death,  can  part 
From  him  that  dwells  therein. 

"A  heart  in  every  thought  renewed, 
And  full  of  love  divine ; 
Perfect,  and  right,  and  pure,  and  good, — 
A  copy,  Lord,  of  thine." 

May  God  give  to  each  of  us  such  a  heart  as  this, 
for  Jesus'  sake  !  Amen. 


THE  WOKDERFUL  LAMP. 
Psalm  cxix.  105  :   Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my  feet. 

The  Psalm  in  which  these  words  are  found  is  the 
longest  chapter  in  the  Bible.  It  is  divided  into 
twenty-two  parts,  and  contains  one  hundred  and 
seventy-six  verses.  The  shortest  chapter  in  the 
Bible  is  the  next  but  one  before  this, — namely,  the 
one  hundred  and  seventeenth  Psalm.  This  con- 
tains only  two  verses.  Now,  it  is  worth  remember- 
ing that  the  longest  and  the  shortest  chapter  in  the 
Bible  are  found  so  close  together.  This  hundred 
and  nineteenth  Psalm  is  remarkable,  not  only  for 
its  length,  but  for  other  things  also.  It  is  all  written 
about  the  Bible.  The  great  object  of  it  is  to  show 
what  a  wonderful  and  excellent  book  the  Bible  is. 
And  this  Psalm  is  remarkable,  also,  for  the  many 
different  names  it  applies  to  the  Bible.  There  are 
no  less  than  ten  different  words  made  use  of  in  this 
Psalm  to  signify  the  Bible.  These  are : — law,  com- 
mandments, testimonies,  statutes,  judgments,  word,  pre- 
cepts, ordinances,  way,  truth. 

And,  out  of  all  these  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
six  verses,  there  is  only  one  which  does  not  contain 
one  or  other  of  these  names  of  the  Bible.  Read 
over  this  Psalm,  verse  by  verse,  and  see  if  you  can 
find  more  than  one  verse  in  which  some  one  of 
these  ten  names  of  the  Bible  does  not  occur.  Every 
one  of  these  hundred  aud  seventy-six  verses,  except 

135 


136       A  LAMP  NEEDED  IN  A  DARK  PLACE. 

the  hundred  and  twenty-second,  has  something  to 
say  about  the  Bible 

Now,  our  text  is  the  hundred  a^.d  fifth  verso 
of  this  Psalm.  And  which  of  these  ten  names 
of  the  Bible  is  found  here?  "Thy  word."  And 
what  does  it  say  of  this  word?  "Thy  word  is  a 
lamp  unto  my  feet."  Here  the  Bible  is  compared 
to  a  lamp.  The  object  of  a  lamp  is  to  give  light. 
And  light  is  needed  by  those  who  are  in  the  dark. 
And  God  tells  us  that  this  is  just  our  condition 
here,  in  this  world.  He  says  that  "darkness  covers 
the  earth,  and  gross  darkness  the  people."  This 
does  not  refer  to  the  outward  or  natural  world, 
which  we  see  with  our  bodily  eyes.  No  ;  for  there 
we  have  the  glorious  sun  to  give  light  by  day,  and 
the  moon  and  stars,  in  all  their  beauty,  to  give 
light  by  night.  But  it  refers  to  the  inward,  or  spi- 
ritual world, — to  the  state  in  which  our  souls  are. 
In  the  Bible,  darkness  means  ignorance  ;  and,  when 
it  speaks  of  the  people  of  the  world  as  being  in 
darkness,  it  means  that  they  are  in  ignorance  re- 
specting God,  and  heaven,  and  the  things  which 
belong  to  salvation.  And,  because  the  Bible  gives 
us  all  the  light  we  have  on  these  matters,  it  is  called 
"a  lamp."  "  Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my  feet." 
God  has  hung  out  this  blessed  lamp  in  a  dark,  dark 
sky;  and  its  heavenly  light  shines  calmly,  and 
sweetly  down  on  .multitudes  of  poor,  wretched  wan- 
derers, who  are  groping  their  way  amidst  all  the  hor- 
rors of  midnight  gloom  and  darkness.  And,  while 
we  are  thinking  on  this  subject,  there  are  two  ques- 
tions that  it  will  be  well  for  us  to  consider. 


Aladdin's  lamp  :  the  bible  better.  137 

The  first  is : —  What  sort  of  a  lamp  is  the  Bible? 

The  second  is: — What  should  those  who  have  it  do 
with  it  f 

jNow,  there  is  one  word  which  contains  all  that 
need  be  said  in  answer  to  the  question,  What  sort 
of  a  lamp  is  the  Bible  ?  and  this  is  the  word: — won- 
derful. The  Bible  is  a  wonderful  lamp.  Almost 
everybody  has  heard  the  Arabian  story  of  Alad- 
din's wonderful  lamp.  The  story  says  that  this 
lamp  was  given  to  Aladdin  by  a  magician.  When 
the  owner  of  this  lamp  wanted  any  thing,  all  he  had 
to  do  was  just  to  rub  the  lamp,  and,  instantly,  the 
thing  that  he  wanted  would  be  all  ready  for  him. 
Plenty  of  money,  splendid  houses,  beautiful  car- 
riages and  horses,  or  any  thing  else,  could  be  had  in 
a  moment  by  a  simple  rub  upon  the  lamp.  This  was 
wonderful  indeed ;  but  I  need  not  tell  you  there  is 
not  a  word  of  truth  in  it.  There  never  was  such  a 
lamp.  And,  even  if  there  had  been,  the  Bible  is 
more  wonderful  still  than  that.  I  would  rather  have 
the  Bible,  and  the  happiness  which  it  brings,  than 
ten  thousand  such  lamps  as  the  Arabian  story  tel'.s 
of,  although  every  word  said  of  them  were  true. 
Why,  one  of  the  very  worst  things  that  could  pos- 
sibly happen  to  any  of  us,  would  be  to  have  our  own 
way,  and  be  able  to  get  every  thing  that  we  wanted. 
We  should  make  ourselves  perfectly  miserable,  and 
ruin  ourselves  in  a  short  time,  as  sure  as  we  are 
alive.  The  blessed  thing  about  the  Bible  is,  that  it 
promises  only  those  things  which  are  really  good  for 
us ;  and  these  it  not  only  promises,  but  secures,  to  us. 
It  is  a  wonderful  lamp.     But  how  is  it  so  ?     What 

12* 


138  WONDERFUL   LIGHT   OF   THE   BIBLE. 

is  there  about  this  lamp  that  makes  it  wonderful  ? 
There  are  three  things  about  it  which  are  wonder- 
ful. It  is  wonderful  for  the  light  it  sheds ; — wonderful 
for  the  comfort  it  yields; — and  wonderful  for  the  safety 
it  affords. 

The  Bible  is  a  lamp  that  sheds  wonderful  light. 
And  the  light  which  shines  from  this  lamp  is  won- 
derful in  several  respects.  It  is  wonderful  for  the 
length  of  time  during  which  it  has  been  shining. 
Most  lamps  only  burn  for  a  few  hours  at  a  time,  and 
then  go  out.  But  this  lamp  has  been  shining  for 
almost  six  thousand  years.  It  was  lighted  in  the 
garden  of  Eden.  When  Adam  sinned,  he  brought 
that  darkness  on  the  world  of  which  we  have  before 
spoken.  The  first  promise  which  God  gave  him 
about  the  Saviour  who  was  afterwards  to  come, 
was  like  kindling  one  little  thread  in  the  wick  of 
this  lamp.  And  then,  as  other  parts  of  the  Bible 
were  written,  the  lamp  burned  brighter,  and  brighter, 
till  Jesus  came  and  the  New  Testament  was  finished. 
And  now,  for  near  two  thousand  years,  this  lamp 
has  been  fully  lighted,  and  burning  all  the  time.  It 
is  a  wonderful  lamp,  when  you  think  of  the  length 
of  time  during  which  it  has  been  shining. 

It  is  wonderful,  also,  for  the  distance  to  which  it 
shines.  Most  lamps,  you  know,  will  not  shine  very 
far.  If  you  want  to  see  clearly  by  a  lamp,  you  must 
go  pretty  close  to  it.  You  can  see  its  light,  indeed, 
for  hundreds  of  yards;  and,  if  it  is  lifted  up  very 
high,  it  may  be  seen  even  at  the  distance  of  several 
miles.  The  lamps  on  some  lighthouses  can  be  seen 
as  far  as  twenty  or  twenty-five  miles.     Yet  ever? 


ITS   WONDERFUL   POWER   OF    SHINING.  139 

this  is  a  very  trifling  distance.  The  Bible — God's 
wonderful  lamp — shines  all  the  way  from  heaven  to 
earth.  We  think  it  wonderful  to  have  the  light  of 
the  sun  come  to  us  from  a  distance  of  ninety-five 
millions  of  miles  :  and  so  it  is.  But  the  light  of  this 
lamp  shines  farther  still.  Nobody  knows  how  far  it 
is  to  heaven.  But  though  Ave  cannot  measure  the 
distance,  yet,  in  the  light  of  this  lamp,  we  can  see 
into  heaven.  It  shines  so  clearly  that  when  we  look 
steadily  in  its  light  the  pearly  gates,  and  golden 
streets,  and  crystal  streams,  of  heaven,  may  be  dis- 
tinctly seen.  And  not  only  from  heaven  to  earth 
does  this  lamp  shine,  but  from  one  end  of  the  earth 
to  the  other,  its  light  is  reaching.  It  is  shining 
now,  across  the  widest  oceans,  and  over  the  highest 
mountains,  and  into  the  darkest  corners  of  the  earth. 
Oh,  it  is  a  wonderful  lamp  for  the  distance  to  which  it 
shines  ! 

And  then  it  is  wonderful  also  for  the  power  with 
which  it  shines.  Some  lamps  burn  so  feebly  that  the 
least  puff  of  wind  will  blow  them  out.  If  you  want 
to  cany  one  of  them  about,  you  must  put  your  hand 
before  it,  and  go  very  carefully,  or  you  will  be  left 
in  the  dark.  And  then,  again,  if  the  air  is  not  pure, 
you  often  find  that  lamps  will  not  burn.  Sometimes 
when  people  are  going  down  into  wells,  or  other 
deep  places,  where  the  air  has  become  impure,  the 
lamps  they  carry  with  them  go  out  in  a  moment. 
But  it  is  very  different  with  God's  wonderful  lamp. 
This  shines  with  so  much  power  that  no  tempest 
that  ever  beat,  no  wind  that  ever  blew,  has  been 
able  to  put  it  out.     Satan  and  wicked  men  hate  tbia 


140         WONDERFUL  COMFORT  IN  TRIAL. 

lamp,  and  have  tried  all  they  could  tov  stop  its  shin- 
ing, but  in  vain.  They  have  raised  storms  of  fierce 
persecution ;  and  tire,  and  sword,  and  chains,  and 
dungeons,  have  been  employed  to  stop  men  from 
reading,  and  circulating  the  Bible,  but  they  have 
never  succeeded.  They  have  never  been  able  to  put 
out  this  wonderful  lamp,  or  stop  it  from  shining. 
And,  as  no  wind  is  strong  enough  to  blow  it  out,  so 
no  atmosphere  is  impure  enough  to  put  it  out.  It 
has  been  carried  down  into  the  darkest  mines,  the 
deepest  pits,  the  foulest  dens,  on  the  earth,  and  it  has 
kept  on  shining  there,  w:ith  a  clear,  steady  light,  till 
the  darkness  was  all  dispelled,  and  the  impurity  all 
removed.  And  when  we  think  of  all  these  things, 
— of  the  length  of  time  during  which  it  has  been  shin- 
ing, of  the  distance  through  which,  and  the  poiver  with 
which  it  shines, — we  see  how  truly  it  may  be  called 
a  wonderful  lamp.  It  is  wonderful  for  the  light  which 
it  sheds. 

But  it  is  wonderful,  also,  for  the  comfort  which  it 
yields.  This  lamp  yields  comfort  to  people  under  the 
trials  of  life;  and  it  yields  comfort  in  the  prospect  of 
death.  There  are  trials  numerous,  and  great,  to  be 
passed  through  in  life.  Whether  we  are  rich,  or 
poor,  learned,  or  unlearned,  we  shall  find  trials  which 
must  be  passed  through ;  and  there  is  nothing  like 
the  Bible — God's  wonderful  lamp — to  give  comfort 
under  them.  You  know  there  is  a  hymn  which 
says,— 

"'Tis  religion  that  can  give 
Sweetest  pleasure,  while  we  live ; 
'Tis  religion  must  supply- 
Solid  comfort  when  we  die." 


daniel's  comfort,  and  david's.  141 

Look  at  Daniel.  He  was  a  great  man,  a  wise  man, 
an  honorable  man.  Next  to  the  king,  he  held  the 
highest  position  in  a  nation  that  was  then  the 
mightiest  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  But  wicked 
men  formed  a  plot  against  him.  He  was  falsely  ac- 
cused of  being  unfaithful  to  his  king  and  country. 
He  was  dragged,  as  it  were,  in  an  instant,  from  his 
home  and  his  honors.  He  was  hurried  away,  as  it 
was  supposed,  to  a  cruel  and  disgraceful  death.  The 
dark  den  of  hungry  lions  was  opened,  and  he  was 
thrust  into  it.  But,  fierce  as  those  untamed  beasts 
were,  they  acted  with  the  gentleness  of  lambs  to 
him.  Their  mouths  were  closed,  their  violence  was 
restrained,  by  an  unseen,  but  mighty  power,  and 
they  hurt  him  not.  Still,  Daniel's  position  was  one 
of  great  trial.  But  he  had  God's  word  to  think  of. 
In  the  darkness  of  that  dreadful  den,  this  wonderful 
lamp  was  shining  in  upon  Daniel's  mind,  and  he 
found  comfort  from  it. 

Or  look  at  Paul.  God  had  sent  him  to  preach 
the  gospel.  He  was  going  about  telling  everybody, 
as  he  had  opportunity,  what  a  glorious  Saviour  Jesus 
is,  and  what  great  blessings  he  bestows  on  all  who 
love  and  fear  him.  But  there  is  a  wicked  ruler  who 
dislikes  to  have  Paul  preach  of  Jesus.  He  bids 
him  stop  his  preaching.  Paul  will  not  do  this. 
Then  the  ruler  sends  an  officer  to  take  him.  He 
orders  him  to  be  beaten  with  rods  on  his  bare  back, 
till  the  flesh  is  torn  and  mangled,  and  the  blood 
flows  down  in  streams  from  the  cruel  wounds. 
Then  he  is  loaded  with  chains  and  thrust  into  a 
wretched  dungeon.   Ah,  what  a  trial  was  that !   And 


142  THE    POOR    CRIPPLE'S    COMFUR1. 

how  did  he  bear  it  ?  Did  he  pass  the  night  in  crying 
and  groaning  over  his  hard  lot?  No,  indeed.  He 
had  God's  wonderful  lamp  with  him,  and  it  shone 
so  brightly  into  his  heart,  and  made  him  so  happy, 
that  he  forgot  his  mangled,  bleeding  back;  and,  as 
if  it  was  a  palace,  instead  of  a  prison,  that  he  was 
occupying,  he  sang  out  the  gladness  of  his  heart 
in  psalms,  and  hymns,  till  all  the  prisoners  heard 
him. 

But  here  is  a  case  from  our  own  times.  There  is 
an  old  man  who  is  a  cripple.  He  lives  all  alone,  in 
a  poor,  miserable  hovel.  It  is  so  old,  and  shattered, 
that  the  wintry  winds  sweep  freely  through  it.  The 
roof  is  so  out  of  repair  that  the  melting  snows,  and 
drenching  rains,  come  dripping  down  in  every  part, 
except  one  little  corner,  which  is  occupied  by  the 
poor  cripple's  bed  of  straw.  We  can  hardly  think 
of  any  situation  more  wretched,  and  uncomfortable 
than  this.  Yet  that  poor  cripple  is  a  real  Christian. 
He  loves  Jesus,  and  has  a  hope  of  heaven.  Would 
you  like  to  know  how  he  feels  in  that  lonely  and 
cheerless  hut?  Well,  a  Christian  friend  and  neigh- 
bor is  going  in  to  make  a  morning  call.  It  is  a  raw, 
cold,  December  day.  The  visitor  opens  Ore  door, 
and  says  to  the  poor  sufferer,  "  Well,  John,  how  do 
you  do,  this  morning?". 

"Oh,  sir,"  he  replies,  "I  am  sitting  under  his  sha- 
dow with  great  delight,  and  his  fruit  is  sweet  to  my 
taste."  He  meant  to  say,  by  this,  that  he  felt  the 
presence  of  his  Saviour,  and  that  this  gave  him 
peace,  and  joy,  amidst  all  his  poverty  and  pain. 
God's  wonderful   lamp  was  shining  in  that  lowly 


PAUL  AND  SILAS  IN  PRISON. 


Rii:s. 


p.  142. 


143 

Lovel,  and  the  poor  sufferer  living  there  was  com- 
forted by  it,  under  the  trials  of  life. 

But  we  need  comfort  in  the  prospect  of  death,  as  well 
as  under  the  trials  of  life ;  and  this  wonderful  lamp 
can  give  it  to  us  here  also.  It  is  a  solemn  thing  to 
die; — to  bid  farewell  to  all  the  familiar  scenes  of 
earth ; — to  be  separated  from  all  the  clear  friends  we 
have  known  and  loved  here; — to  lie  down  in  the 
silent  grave,  and  moulder  into  dust ; — to  enter  upon 
the  awful  and  untried  scenes  of  the  eternal  world ; — 
to  stand  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ,  and  have 
our  condition  fixed  in  happiness,  or  misery,  for  ever- 
lasting ages; — oh,  there  is  something  unspeakably 
solemn  in  all  this  !  Who  can  think  of  it,  and  not  feel 
his  spirit  awed  within  him  ?  Ah !  we  need  comfort 
in  the  prospect  of  death,  more  than  we  can  possibly 
need  it,  at  any  other  time.  And  we  must  have  it,  too, 
or  we  shall  be  badly  off  indeed.  Yet  there  is  no- 
thing that  can  give  us  real,  substantial,  satisfying 
comfort,  except  the  Bible. 

This  wonderful  lamp  was  lighted,  on  purpose,  that 
it  might  shine  on  the  darkness  of  the  grave.  When 
it  does  shine,  there  is  comfort  in  the  prospect  of 
death ;  when  it  does  not  shine,  there  is  none.  Here 
is  a  striking  illustration  of  this.  Two  Hindoos  are 
dying.  One  of  them  is  still  a  heathen;  he  is  with- 
out this  lamp.  The  other  is  a  Christian  ;  he  has  it. 
Now,  mark  the  difference  between  them.  The  hea- 
then Hindoo  feels  that  death  is  approaching  fast. 
He  sends  for  the  Brahmin,  his  priest,  and  asks  him, 
with  great  eagerness,  "What  will  become  of  me 
when  I  die  ?"     "At  your  death,"  said  the  Brahmin, 


144  TWO    HINDOOS    DYING — A   CONTRAST. 

"your  spirit  will  enter  the  body  of  some  replug 
and  live  there,  a  long  period  of  time."  "And,  when 
that  is  over,  what  will  become  of  me?"  asked  the 
dying  man  again.  "Then,"  said  the  Brahmin,  "you 
will  pass  into  the  body  of  some  animal  for  another 
long  period."  "And  what  then?"  asked  the  poor 
man.  The  Brahmin  led  him  through  a  long  series  of 
changes,  reaching  over  some  thousands  of  years.  At 
every  step  in  the  progress,  he  was  met  by  the  earnest 
inquiry  of  the  dying  man,  "And  what  then?"  He 
felt  that  thousands  of  years  were  as  nothing  to  eter- 
nity. The  Brahmin  got  to  the  end  of  all  his  changes, 
and  still  the  cry  met  him,  What  then  f  But  he  could 
not  answer  it.  He  had  nothing  more  to  say;  and  the 
poor  dying  heathen,  without  hope,  or  comfort,  wa3 
compelled  to  take  a  leap  in  the  dark,  and  find  out 
the  answer  to  his  question  in  his  own  sad  expe- 
rience. God's  wonderful  lamp  had  never  shone 
upon  him,  to  give  him  comfort  in  the  prospect  of 
death,  and  therefore  he  could  find  none. 

But  another  Hindoo  is  about  to  die.  He  is  a 
young  man  connected  with  a  mission-school.  There 
he  has  learned  to  read  the  Bible,  and  it  has  taught 
him  the  way  of  salvation.  He  feels  that  his  last 
hour  has  come.  He  calls  one  of  his  friends  to  his 
bedside,  and,  with  a  countenance  beaming  with 
peace  and  joy,  he  exclaims,  "  Sing,  brother,  sing." 
"What  shall. I  sing?"  asks  his  companion.  "Sing 
of  salvation  through  the  blood  of  Jesus.  Sing, 
Thanks  be  to  him  who  giveth  us  the  victory, 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;"  and  then  he  sunk 
back  upon  his  couch  and  died.     He  had  this  won- 


davy's  safety-lamp.  145 

derful  lamp.  It  had  been  shining  in  upon  his  soul  •, 
and  its  clear  shining  gave  him  comfort,  in  the  pros- 
pect of  death. 

But  this  lamp  is  wonderful  for  the  safety  which  it 
affords.  Persons  who  have  to  go  into  coal-mines  are 
exposed  to  many  dangers.  One  of  these  arises  from 
a  particular  kind  of  gas,  which  is  sometimes  found 
there,  and  which,  the  very  moment  it  comes  in  con- 
tact with  the  flame  of  a  lamp,  or  candle,  explodes 
like  gunpowder,  burning,  and  destroying,  all  persons 
within  its  reach.  Hundreds  of  lives  have  been  lost 
in  this  way.  Some  years  ago,  a  wise  and  good  man, 
whose  name  was  Sir  Humphry  Davy,  invented  a 
lamp,  for  the  purpose  of  guarding  against  the  clanger 
of  explosion  from  this  gas.  It  had  fine  wire  gauze, 
arranged  round  the  flame  of  the  lamp,  in  such  a  way, 
that  it  would  give  notice  to  the  miners  of  the  pre- 
sence of  this  dangerous  gas,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
keep  the  flame  of  the  lamp  from  touching  it,  till 
they  escaped  from  the  danger.  It  is  called  Davy's 
safety-lamp,  and  has  proved  a  great  comfort,  and 
blessing  to  miners.  It  has  saved  a  great  many  hun- 
dred lives. 

Now,  this  world  is  like  a  great  coal-mine,  and  all 
its  inhabitants  are  like  miners.  The  sins,  that  abound 
here,  are  like  this  dangerous  gas,  and,  when  they 
come  in  contact  with  our  evil  passions,  violent  ex- 
plosions are  often  produced,  and  great  damage  is 
done.  We  need  a  safety-lamp  to  show  us  where  the 
dangers  lie,  and  help  us  to  escape  from  them.  And 
just  such  a  lamp  we  have.   The  Bible  is  a  safety-lamp 

13 


146  THE    SAFETY    GOD's    LAMP   AFFORDS. 

which  God  has  invented  for  this  very  purpose.  If 
we  carry  it  with  us,  as  we  move  about  in  this  great 
mine,  and  use  it  carefully,  it  will  afford  us  entire 
safety.  It  will  always  warn  us  when  danger  is  nigh, 
and  show  us  how  we  may  escape  it.  This  is  just 
what  our  text  means,  when  it  says,  "  Thy  word  is  a 
lamp  unto  my  feet."  It  is  a  wonderful  lamp.  It  is 
wonderful  for  many  tilings,  but  for  nothing  more, 
than  for  the  safety  it  affords  to  those  who  use  it 
rightly.  Such  persons  are  said  to  be  "  under  the 
shadow  of  God's  wings;"  and  "in  the  hollow  of  his 
hand."  What  a  position  of  safety  this  is !  This 
was  the  position  which  David  occupied  when  he 
said,  "  The  Lord  is  my  light,  and  my  salvation ;  whom 
then  shall  I  fear  ?  the  Lord  is  the  strength  of  my 
life;  of  whom  shall  I  be  afraid?"  He  knew  that  an 
eye,  which  never  slumbers,  was  watching  over  him, 
and  that  an  arm,  which  never  wearies,  was  stretched 
out  for  his  defence.  And  this  is  just  as  true  of  us, 
as  it  was  of  David,  if  we  are  walking  by  the  light  of 
this  wonderful  lamp.  Then,  the  words  spoken  in 
Ps.  cxxi.  5-8,  refer  to  us,  and  show  the  safety  we 
enjoy: — "The  Lord  is  thy  keeper;  the  Lord  is  thy 
shade  upon  thy  right  hand.  The  sun  shall  not  smite 
thee  by  day,  nor  the  moon  by  night.  The  Lord 
shall  preserve  thee  from  all  evil :  he  shall  preserve 
thy  soul.  The  Lord  shall  preserve  thy  going  out 
and  thy  coming  in  from  this  time  forth,  and  even 
for  evermore."  And  when  we  think  of  the  light 
which  this  lamp  sheds,  of  the  comfort  which  it 
yields,  and  of  the  safety  which  it  affords,  we  see 
how  truly  it  may  be  called  a  wonderful  lamp.     This 


WHAT    TO    DO    WITH    THIS    LAMP.  147 

answers  our  first  question  : — What  sort  of  a  lamp  is 
the  Bible  ? 

The  second  question  can  receive  a  much  shorter 
answer.  This  question  is: — What  should  those  who 
hare  this  lamp  do  with  it?  They  should  do  two  things 
with  it: — They  should  use  it  themselves,  and  they  should 
said  it  to  others.  We  should  use  this  lamp  ourselves. 
This  is  what  it  is  given  to  us  for.  We  all  have  need 
to  use  it.  It  is  shining  about  us,  and  into  our  hearts, 
on  purpose  that  we  may  see  the  greatness  of  our 
sins,  and  then  come  to  Jesus  to  get  rid  of  them. 
This  wonderful  lamp  can  do  us  no  good  unless  it 
shows  us  the  way  to  Jesus,  that  we  may  learn  to 
love  and  serve  him.  We  may  as  well  be  without  it, 
— nay,  we  had  much  better  be  without  it,  than  fail 
to  make  a  right  use  of  it.  To  neglect  to  use  this  lamp 
aright,  is  the  greatest  sin  we  can  commit.  We  shall  be 
condemned  to  everlasting  destruction  for  this  very 
thing.  Jesus  said,  when  he  was  on  earth,  "  This  is 
the  condemnation,"  (that  means,  this  is  the  thing 
for  which  men  will  be  condemned,)  "  that  light  is 
come  into  the  world,  and  men  love  darkness,  rather 
than  light,  because  their  deeds  are  evil."  Then  let 
us,  my  dear  children,  use  this  lamp  to  find  out  the 
way  to  heaven ;  and,  when  we  see  that  way,  let  us 
strive  to  walk  in  it.  This  is  the  right  use  to  make 
of  this  lamp  for  ourselves. 

But  then  we  must  send  it  to  others,  as  well  as  make  a 
right  use  of  it  ourselves.  There  was  a  fisherman, 
once,  whose  hut  was  situated  on  a  high  and  rock- 
bound  coast.  Near  by  was  a  snug  cove,  with  a 
smooth,  sandy  beach,  where  he  was  accustomed  to 


148  THE    FISHERMAN    IN    A    STORM. 

draw  up  his  little  boat,  and  from  which  he  went 
forth,  clay  by  day,  to  engage  in  his  toilsome  occupa- 
tion, on  the  waters  of  the  stormy  sea.  One  day  he 
went  out,  as  usual,  to  spend  the  day  in  fishing.  He 
toiled  on,  with  encouraging  success,  till  towards  the 
close  of  the  afternoon ;  when,  looking  up  to  the  sky, 
he  saw  threatening  signs  of  an  approaching  storm. 
Immediately  he  hauled  up  his  lines,  resolving,  if 
possible,  to  reach  his  home  before  the  gathering 
tempest  should  burst  upon  him.  But  he  had  a  long 
distance  to  go,  and  the  wind  was  ahead,  and  the  sea 
was  rough,  and  the  storm  came  on  fast,  and  the  day 
was  almost  gone.  Yet,  with  a  brave  and  trusting 
heart,  he  turned  the  bow  of  his  boat,  in  the  right 
direction,  and  began  to  row  towards  home.  Eight 
manfully  did  he  bend  upon  his  oars,  and  his  boat 
flew  rapidly  over  the  white-capped  billows.  But 
darker,  and  darker  grew  the  heavens  above  him; 
and  soon  all  trace  of  daylight  had  disappeared.  The 
outline  of  the  coast  had  faded  from  his  view,  and  he 
could  no  longer  see  any  of  those  well-known  land- 
marks, by  which  he  was  accustomed  to  direct  his 
course.  He  went  as  near  the  coast  as  he  could,  with- 
out being  dashed  against  its  jagged  rocks.  And 
then  he  rowed  on,  till  he  was  exhausted ;  but  no  sign 
of  his  hut,  or  of  the  little  cove  near  by,  could  he  dis- 
cover. The  storm  raged  fiercer,  and  the  night  grew 
darker.  Hope  died  away  within  him,  and  death 
stared  him  in  the  face.  He  expected  every  moment 
that  his  frail  boat  would  be  swallowed  up  in  the 
stormy  waters.  But,  just  then,  a  faint  ray  of  light 
met  his  eye.     It  renewed  his  strength.     He  rowed 


THE  LAMP  THAT  SAVED  HIM — HOW  HE  USED  IT.   149 

on  more  heartily.  Very  soon  he  found  that  it  pro- 
ceeded from  the  window  of  his  own  little  hut.  It 
guided  him  to  the  cove,  he  was  accustomed  to  enter. 
He  drew  his  boat  up  safely  on  the  sand,  and,  grate- 
ful for  his  own  deliverance,  before  he  went  to  bed 
that  night,  he  trimmed  the  lamp,  and  rilled  it  with 
oil,  and  set  it  in  the  window  of  his  humble  dwelling, 
that  its  friendly  light  might  shine  out  upon  the 
stormy  sea,  and  perhaps  guide  some  other  tempest- 
tossed  voyager  to  a  place  of  safety.  And  as  long  as 
he  lived,  he  continued  this  practice.  It  was  very 
proper  that  he  should  do  this.  He  made  a  right  use 
of  the  lamp  himself,  and  then  he  tried  to  extend  the 
benefit  of  it  to  others.  And  this  is  just  what  we 
should  do.  "We  have  God's  wonderful  lamp.  It  is 
shining  all  about  our  path.  It  shows  us  how  we 
may  sail  over  life's  stormy  sea,  so  as  to  reach  the 
haven  of  enduring  rest  and  safety  at  last.  But  there 
are  multitudes,  of  our  fellow-creatures,  who  are 
tossed  on  this  tempestuous  sea,  without  a  single  ray 
of  light  to  guide  their  way.  What  is  our  duty? 
Should  we  not  send  this  wonderful  lamp  to  them  ? 
This  is  all  they  need.  It  is  abundantly  able  to  guide 
them  to  the  only  place  where  they  can  find  safety. 
And  when  we  present  our  offerings  to  the  mis- 
sionary cause,  when  wTe  give  our  money  to  send  the 
Bible  to  the  benighted  heathen,  and  when  we  pray 
to  God  to  bless  our  offerings,  then  we  are  holding 
up  this  wonderful  lamp,  that  those  who  are  in  dark- 
ness may  see  its  light,  and  follow  its  guidance,  and 
be  happy  forever.  There  are  two  things,  my  dear 
children,  that  you  should  earnestly  pray  for.     One 

13* 


150  TWO    THINGS    TO    PRAY    FOR. 

is,  that  God  may  give  you  grace  to  make  a  right 
use  of  this  lamp  yourselves ;  and  the  other  is,  that 
he  would  help  you  to  do  all  you  can  to  send  it  to 
others.  When  Jesus  was  on  earth,  he  said  to  the 
people,  "While  ye  have  the  light,  walk  in  the  light, 
lest  darkness  come  upon  you."  And  he  says  the 
same  to  us.  If  we  neglect  to  use  this  lamp  properly 
ourselves,  we  commit  a  great  sin ;  and  expose  our- 
selves to  great  danger.  And  so  we  do  if  we  neglect 
to  send  it  to  others.  For  there  is  a  passage  of  Scrip- 
ture which  says,  "  To  him  that  knoweth  to  do  good, 
and  doeth  it  not,  to  him  it  is  sin."  May  God  enable 
us  "both  to  perceive,  and  know,  what  things  we 
ought  to  do ;  and  also  give  us  qjraee  faithfully  to 
fulfil  the  same,"  for  Jesus'  sake'  A***** 


THE   CHILD'S  FORTUNE   TOLD. 

ProV.  XX.  11 :   Even  a  child  may  be  known  by  his  doings. 

Tiieke  are  many  different  ways  in  which  we  may 
know  a  person.  Sometimes  we  know  persons  by 
sight.  Almost  every  day  in  the  week,  as  I  pass  by 
the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  standing  against  the 
wall  at  the  corner  of  Eighth  and  Spruce  Streets,  I 
see  a  poor,  blind,  colored  man,  begging,  and  offering 
matches  for  sale.  I  can  see  him  half  a  square  off, 
as  I  go  up  and  down  the  street.  And  if  I  should 
see  him  anywhere  else,  I  could  tell  him  in  a  mo- 
ment. I  know  him  by  sight.  But  where  he  lives,  or 
whether  he  has  any  family,  or  what  sort  of  a  man 
he  is,  I  cannot  tell.  I  only  know  him  by  sight. 
Sometimes  we  know  a  person  by  name.  Everybody 
in  this  country  knows  Franklin  Pierce,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  by  name,  though  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  people  have  never  seen  him. 
In  the  same  way  almost  everybody  knows  Barnum, 
the  great  showman,  though  very  few  would  know 
him  by  sight  if  he  should  appear  before  them.  And 
sometimes  we  know  persons  by  description.  If  you 
should  read  an  advertisement  of  a  person  who  had 
committed  a  robbery,  in  which  he  was  represented 
as  having  red  hair,  being  light-complexionecl,  cross- 
eyed, with  a  large  wart  on  his  nose,  short  of  stature, 
and  limping  on  his  left  foot,  although  you  had  never 

161 


152  PEOPLE   KNOWN   BY   THEIR   ACTIONS. 

seen  the  man  before,  yet,  from  reading  this  account 
of  his  appearance,  yon  would  know  him,  from  de- 
scription, as  soon  as  you  saw  him.  And  then,  again, 
persons  are  known  by  their  actions ;  that  is,  by  cer- 
tain things  that  they  have  done.  In  this  way  we  all 
know  JSToah,  as  the  man  who  built  the  ark.  We 
know  Moses,  as  the  man  who  led  the  Israelites  out 
of  Egypt,  and  through  the  wilderness.  So  we  know 
David,  as  the  man  who  killed  the  giant;  and  Daniel, 
as  the  man  who  was  thrown  into  the  lion's  den. 
And  so  everybody  knows  Christopher  Columbus,  as 
the  man  who  discovered  America;  and  George 
Washington,  as  the  man  who  saved  his  country;  and 
Benedict  Arnold,  as  the  traitor  who  basely  betrayed 
it.  And  when  we  read  history,  we  learn  to  know 
the  character  of  the  different  persons  spoken  of,  by 
the  things  they  have  done.  And  this  is  the  way  of 
knowing  persons  that  Solomon  speaks  of  in  our 
text.  It  is  not  by  sight,  nor  by  name,  nor  by  descrip- 
tion ;  but  by  actions.  And  children  may  be  known  in 
this  way  as  well  as  grown  persons.  The  wise  man 
tells  us  here,  that  "  even  a  child  may  be  known  by 
his  doings." 

Now,  there  are  two  questions  to  be  considered  in 
connection  with  this  text. 

The  first  is: — What  is  meant  by  "doings"  here? 

The  second  is: — What  mag  be  "known"  of  a  child  in 
this  way  f 

Now,  I  suppose,  when  Solomon  used  the  word 
"doings"  here,  in  reference  to  a  child,  he  meant  to 
speak  of  three  things:  —  namely,  the  tempers  he  in- 
dulges; the  habits  he  forms;  and  the  company  he  keeps. 


CHILDREN   KNOWN   BY   THEIR   TEMPERS.  15S 

The  tempers  indulged,  by  eveiy  young  person, 
constitute  part  of  those  doings  by  which  he  may  be 
knowrn.  We  all  know  what  temper  means.  It  is  a 
word  we  use  to  express  the  kind  of  feelings  we  have, 
towards  those  who  are  about  us.  And  our  tempers 
have  very  much  to  do  with  making  up  our  charac- 
ters. Sometimes  we  look  at  persons,  or  things, 
through  something  which  makes  them  appear  very 
different  from  what  they  really  are.  If  I  look  at 
you  through  a  piece  of  green  glass,  you  appear  to  be 
green.  And  if  I  look  at  you  through  a  red  piece, 
you  will  look  red.  But  this  does  not  prove  that  you 
are  green,  or  red,  does  it  ?  Of  course  not.  It  only 
proves  that  I  am  looking  at  you,  and  judging  of  you, 
in  a  wrong  way.  But  when  we  look  at  persons,  and 
judge  of  them,  through  their  tempers,  we  are  sure 
to  be  right.  Then  we  see,  and  know,  just  what  they 
are.  We  are  all  just  what  our  tempers  make  us. 
Now,  there  is  as  much  difference  in  the  tempers  of 
children,  as  there  is  in  the  color  of  their  hair,  or 
their  eyes,  or  in  the  complexion  of  their  counte- 
nances. Seme  children  have  cross  tempers.  If  you 
speak  to  them,  you  are  sure  to  get  some  sharp,  surly 
answer.  Th  3y  snap  and  snarl  like  some  ill-natured 
dog,  whose  delight  is  to  be  as  ugly  as  he  can.  If 
you  ask  them  to  do  the  smallest  favor,  you  are  sure 
to  be  refused,  and  that,  too,  in  a  rough,  ungracious 
manner.  Other  children  have  kind  tempers.  They 
always  have  something  pleasant  to  say,  when  they 
are  spoken  to.  They  are  ready  to  do  every  thing 
in  their  power  to  accommodate  others.  They  are 
always  striving  to  make  those  about  them  comfort- 


154  FRETFUL   AND   PATIENT   TEMPERS. 

able.     They  are  like  little  sunbeams,  and  diffuse  a 
cheerful,  happy  light  wherever  they  go. 

Some  children  have  fretful  tempers.  They  are  all 
the  time  finding  fault,  with  something  or  other. 
They  fret  about  the  weather.  It  is  either  too  hot,  or 
too  cold,  too  wet,  or  too  dry.  They  fret  about  their 
clothes.  Here  is  one  of  these  fretters  getting 
dressed.  Just  listen  to  him  a  moment.  He  takes 
up  his  coat.  "  Such  a  looking  coat !"  he  murmurs. 
"Who  ever  saw  the  like?  About  half  a  mile  too 
big!"  Observe,  fretters  never  tell  the  truth.  And  so  he 
goes  on  with  every  thing,  he  takes  up.  His  stock- 
ings are  too  thin;  and  his  shoes  too  thick.  One 
thing  is  too  long,  and  another  too  short.  One  is  too 
tight,  and  another  too  loose.  These  children  fret 
about  their  food  too,  as  well  as  their  clothes.  It  is 
either  done  too  much,  or  not  done  enough.  It  is 
either  too  coarse,  or  too  fine,  or  too  something  or 
other  that  must  be  complained  of. 

Other  children,  again,  have  patient  tempers,  the 
very  opposite  of  these.  They  never  fret  about  the 
w7eather ;  because  they  feel  that  God,  who  sends  it, 
knows  better  than  they  do  what  kind  to  send,  and 
what  he  sends  must  be  best.  They  never  fret  about 
their  clothes ;  because  they  know  that  hundreds  of 
people  are  wearing  clothes  much  worse  than  theirs. 
And  they  never  fret  about  their  food ;  because  they 
know  that,  however  bad  it  may  be,  it  would  be  a 
gieat  deal  worse  to  have  none. 

There  were  two  gardeners,  once,  whose  crops  of 
peas  had  been  killed  by  a  frost.  One  of  them  fretted 
and  grumbled,  and  said  nobody  was  so  unfortunate 


KEEPING    THE    ROTTEN    ONE    FOR   CHARLIE.  155 

as  he  was.  Visiting  his  neighbor,  some  time  after,  he 
called  out,  in  astonishment,  "What  a  fine  crop  of 
peas  !  What  are  these  ?"  "  These  are  what  I  sowed 
while  you  were  fretting,"  said  the  other.  "Why, 
don't  you  ever  fret?"  "Yes;  but  I  put  it  off  till  I 
have  repaired  the  mischief."  "But  then,  you  have 
no  need  to  fret  at  all."  "That's  very  true,"  said 
the  other;  "and  that's  just  the  reason  why  I  put 
it  off." 

Some  children  have  selfish  tempers.  They  always 
think  of  themselves  first,  and  help  themselves  to  the 
best  of  every  thing.  A  little  girl  belonging  to  this 
class,  whose  name  was  Mary,  was  out  visiting  once, 
with  her  mother.  She  had  a  little  brother,  called 
Charlie,  who  was  left  at  home.  The  lady,  at  whose 
house  they  were  visiting,  gave  Mary  two  peaches. 
One  of  them  was  a  nice,  plump,  mellow,  juicy  peach, 
that  would  make  your  mouth  water  to  look  at  it. 
The  other  was  a  poor-looking  one,  with  a  great  spot 
on  the  side,  showing  that  it  was  half  rotten.  Mary 
began  at  once,  very  eagerly,  to  eat  up  the  ripe  peach. 
Presently,  her  mother  said  to  her,  "  Alary,  my  child, 
are  you  not  going  to  save  some  for  Charlie  ?"  "Oh, 
yes,  ma,"  said  Mary;  "I  am  saving  the  rotten  one 
for  Charlie!"  And  people  who  indulge  this  selfish 
feeling  while  they  are  young,  will  find  it  remain 
with  them  when  they  grow  up.  There  is  one  place, 
in  the  Bible,  in  which  God  complained  of  the  Jewrs, 
that  they  kept  the  best  of  their  lambs  and  sheep  in 
their  flocks,  and  offered  him  "the  lame  and  blind." 
The  people  who  would  do  this,  when  they  are  grown 
up,   are   the   very   ones   who,  when   }-oung,  woulcj 


156  THE    GENEROUS    TEMPER KING    ALFRED. 

"keep  the  rotten  one  for  Charlie."  And  these  sort 
of  people  are  to  he  found  among  us,  as  well  as 
among  the  Jews.  Look  at  that  plate,  on  which  the 
Communion  collection  has  just  been  taken  up,  in 
church.  See ;  there's  a  counterfeit  coin.  And  there 
are  two  or  three  other  pieces,  so  p  am,  and  poor, 
that  they  would  not  pass  in  business.  Nobody  would 
take  them  in  trade.  But,  though  not  good  enough 
to  be  offered  in  payment  for  meat  or  potatoes,  some- 
body thought  them  good  enough  to  be  offered  to 
God.  I  never  see  one  of  these  plain  coins,  in  a  col- 
lection, without  thinking,  "Ah !  that  was  given  by 
one  who  has  been  accustomed,  from  childhood,  '  to 
keep  the  rotten  one  for  Charlie.' " 

Other  children  have  generous  tempers.  They 
always  like  to  share  what  they  have  with  others.  If 
they  have  a  cake,  or  a  pie,  or  something  very  nice 
to  eat,  they  do  not  sneak  away,  into  a  corner,  and  eat 
it  all  themselves :  they  love  to  go  among  their  bro- 
thers, and  sisters,  or  companions,  and  share  it  with 
them.  They  feel  happier  for  it ;  and  have  much 
more  enjoyment  of  the  part  the}^  do  eat  in  this  way, 
than  if  they  had  eaten  it  all.  It  is  said  of  Alfred, 
the  great  and  good  king  of  England,  that,  during 
the  time  in  which  he  was  driven  by  the  Danes  from 
his  throne,  and  was  wandering  in  disguise  and  po- 
verty,  he  was  reduced  so  low,  that  a  part  of  a  loaf 
of  bread  was  all.  his  supply.  While  in  this  state,  a 
hungry  beggar  approached  him,  and  implored  re- 
lief. The  generous  monarch  opened  his  wallet,  and 
shared  freely,  his  last  morsel,  with  one  of  the  hum- 
blest of  his  subjects.     And  he  who  could  act  thus, 


A    CHILD    KNOWN    BY    HIS    HABITS.  157 

as  a  man,  must  have  been  accustomed  to  act  so 
when  a  child.  And  these  tempers,  indulged,  are 
part  of  the  "doings"  of  a  child  by  which  he  may  be 
known. 

But,  again,  by  the  habits  he  forms,  as  well  as  by  the 
tempers  he  indulges,  a  child  may  be  known.  Hy 
habits  we  mean  the  ways  in  which  we  are  accus- 
tomed to  do  things.  Somebody  once  said  that 
"man  is  a  bundle  of  habits."  And  this  is  just  as 
true  of  boys,  and  girls,  as  it  is  of  men,  and  women. 
Indeed,  it  is  while  we  are  young  that  we  tie  up  this 
bundle.  And,  as  it  is  a  bundle  we  earry  with  us  all 
our  lives,  we  should  be  very  careful  what  we  put 
into  the  bundle.  Some  children  form  idle  habits. 
They  love  to  lie  in  bed  late  in  the  morning.  It  is 
hard  to  waken  them,  and  get  them  up;  and  when 
they  are  up  it  is  hard  to  get  them  to  work,  or  study, 
or  do  any  thing  but  play  or  loiter  about.  These  sort 
of  children  remind  one  very  much  of  the  farmer's 
horse.  This  horse,  the  farmer  said,  had  only  two 
faults.  One  was,  that  he  was  very  hard  to  catch. 
The  other  was,  that  when  he  was  caught  he  wasn't 
good  for  any  thing.  Other  children  have  industrious 
habits.  They  rise  early ;  they  study  hard ;  and  get 
their  lessons  well.  If  they  are  set  to  work  they  do 
it  cheerfully;  they  are  not  easily  tired,  but  keep  on 
until  the  work  is  done.  People  with  these  habits 
always  succeed  in  life.  There  is  no  difficulty  which 
industry  has  not  conquered.  One  day,  a  load  of  coal 
was  thrown  down  before  the  door  of  a  cellar,  m 
which  a  poor  family  lived.  A  little  girl  went  out, 
with  quite  a  small  shovel,  and  began  to  shovel  it  up. 

14 


15S  CARELESS    HABITS    A   GREAT    EVIL. 

"  My  little  child,"  said  a  gentleman  who"  was  passing 
by,  "you  can't  get  all  that  coal  in  with  your  small 
shovel."  "Oh,  yes,  I  can,  sir,"  said  the  little  girl, 
"  if  I  only  work  long  enough.'" 

There  was  a  poor  boy,  once,  who  resolved  to  get 
an  education.  He  had  to  work  hard  all  day,  and, 
when  evening  came,  lie  had  no  place  to  read  in,  ar.d 
no  light  to  read  by;  so  he  used  to  take  his  book, 
and  go  into  the  street,  and  stand  by  some  shop- 
window,  and  study  in  the  light  that  shone  from 
it.  And  sometimes,  when  the  stores  were  closed, 
before  he  got  through,  he  would  climb  up  a  lamp- 
post and  hold  on  with  one  hand,  while  he  held 
his  book  with  the  other.  It  is  not  surprising  that 
he  became  a  man  who  was  distinguished  for  his 
learning. 

Some  children  form  careless  habits.  They  never 
put  things  in  their  proper  places,  but  lay  them  down 
and  leave  them  just  where  they  may  happen  to  be. 
Then,  when  they  want  them,  they  can't  tell  where 
to  find  them.  Suppose  you  were  visiting  in  a  family 
where  several  children  live  who  have  formed  care- 
less habits.  The  morning-hour  for  going  to  school 
has  come.  There  is  a  great  noise,  and  confusion  in 
the  entry.  You  go  to  your  room-door,  to  find  out 
what  is  the  matter,  and  you  hear  sounds  like  these : 
—"Where's  my  hat?"  "Where's  my  bonnet?" 
"Who's  taken  my  books?"  "Somebody's  always 
taking  my  things.  I  do  wish  people  would  mind 
their  own  business,  and  let  my  things  alone  !"  Poor 
children !  Who  has  been  taking  their  things,  and 
teazing  them  so  ?     Nobody  at  all.     Their  things  are 


THE    CARELESS    COOPER — THE    GREAT   EXPLOSION.      159 

just  where  they  left  them;  and  they  find  them  pre- 
sently, one  in  the  parlor,  another  in  the  dining- 
room,  and  another  in  the  kitchen.  Now,  there  is 
no  telling,  my  dear  children,  how  much  evil  some- 
times results  from  the  formation  of  careless  habits. 
Several  years  ago  a  dreadful  explosion,  of  gunpow- 
der, took  place  in  Wilmington,  Delaware.  Three 
large  wagons  were  carrying  powder,  in  kegs,  from 
Mr.  Dupont's  mills  on  the  Brandy  wine,  to  a  place  on 
the  Delawf  re.  As  they  were  passing  the  outskirts 
of  the  city,  and  while  just  opposite  the  beautiful 
mansion  of  Bishop  Lee,  there  was  a  flash ; — a  tre- 
mendous noise; — and  all  was  over.  In  an  instant,  the 
wagons,  the  horses,  the  drivers,  and  all  about  thern, 
were  blown  to  atoms.  Nobody  ever  could  tell  ex- 
actly how  it  took  place.  But,  if  the  truth  were 
known,  I  dare  say  it  would  be  found  that  an  act  of 
carelessness  was  the  cause  of  it.  Suppose,  for  in- 
stance, that  a  cooper  of  careless  habits  had  made 
one  of  the  kegs.  While  making  the  keg  he  took 
up  one  of  the  staves,  which  had  a  little  hole  in  it. 
He  was  too  careless  to  notice  it,  or  to  mind  it, 
if  it  was  noticed.  He  put  that  stave  in  the  keg. 
The  keg  was  taken  to  the  mill,  and  filled  with 
powder.  The  wagon  is  loaded.  That  keg  is  put 
in.  The  motion  of  the  wagon  shakes  the  powder 
through  the  hole.  Presently  a  spark,  either  struck 
by  the  horse's  shoe,  or  coming  from  some  other 
source,  lights  on  the  scattered  grains,  and  the  awful 
mischief  is  done.  How  many  a  calamity,  equally 
terrible,  has  been  caused  by  a  single  act  of  care- 
lessness ! 


160     THE  ENDS  OF  CANDLES THE  LARGE  SUBSCRIPTION. 

Other  children  form  careful  habits.  *  They  never 
waste  any  thing.  In  regard  to  time,  and  money,  and 
every  tiling  else,  they  remember  our  Saviour's  words, 
"Gather  up  the  fragments,  that  nothmg  be  lost." 
They  put  things  in  their  proper  places,  and  always 
know  where  to  find  them.  Their  rule  is : — "A  place 
for  every  thing,  and  every  thing  in  its  place."  It  is 
an  excellent  rule,  and  attention  to  it  will  work  won- 
ders. Those  who  form  habits  of  this  kind,  when 
they  grow  up,  are  almost  sure  to  be  rich  and  useful. 
Two  gentlemen  were  once  engaged  in  procuring 
subscriptions  to  the  Bible  Society.  As  they  passed 
by  a  fine  large  house,  they  heard  the  gentleman  who 
lived  there,  reproving  the  servants  in  the  kitchen  for 
extravagance,  in  throwing  away  the  ends  of  candles, 
and  half-burned  lamp-lighters.  "Well,"  said  one 
of  the  collectors  to  the  other,  "  it's  not  worth  while 
to  stop  here ;  for  a  man  who  is  so  careful  about  the 
ends  of  his  candles  will  hardly  give  any  thing  for 
the  Bible."  "It  will  do  no  harm  to  try,"  said  the 
other.  They  went  in,  and  were  agreeably  surprised 
at  receiving  a  very  large  subscription.  "Sir,"  said 
one  of  the  collectors,  "the  amount  of  your  subscrip- 
tion greatly  surprises  us.  For  when  we  heard  you, 
a  few  moments  ago,  reproving  your  servants  for  not 
saving  the  ends  of  candles,  we  thought  it  hardly 
worth  while  to  stop."  "Ah!  gentlemen,"  said  he, 
"  it  is  by  the  habit  of  carefulness,  in  little  things,  that 
I  am  able  to  give  largely  to  the  Bible  Society,  and 
other  good  causes." 

A  young  man  once  went  into  the  city  of  Paris,  to 
seek  a  situation.   He  had  letters  of  recommendatioD 


A   FORTUNE    MADE   BY   A   PIN.  161 

to  a  large  banking-establishment.  He  called  on  the 
gentleman  who  was  at  the  head  of  it,  full  of  hope, 
and  confidence,  that  he  should  find  employment. 
The  gentleman  heard  what  he  had  to  say,  and 
looked  over  his  letters  hastily,  and  then  handed 
them  back  to  him,  saying,  "We  have  nothing  for 
you  to  do,  sir."  The  young  man  felt  his  heart  sink 
within  him.  He  was  ready  to  burst  into  tears.  But 
there  was  no  help  for  it.  So  he  made  his  bow,  and 
retired.  But,  as  he  was  passing  in  front  of  the  build- 
ing, there  was  a  pin  lying  on  the  pavement.  He 
stopped,  stooped  down,  and  picked  it  up,  and  then 
stuck  it  carefully  away,  under  the  bosom  of  his  coat. 
Now,  it  happened  so  that  the  gentleman  with  whom 
he  had  just  been  speaking  was  standing  at  the  win- 
dow, and  saw  what  took  place.  In  an  instant,  the 
thought  occurred  to  him  that  the  young  man  who 
had  such  habits  of  carefulness  as  to  stop,  in  such  a 
moment  of  disappointment,  and  pick  up  a  pin, 
would  make  a  useful  business  man.  He  sent,  imme- 
diately, and  called  him  back.  He  gave  him  an  hum- 
ble situation,  in  the  establishment.  From  that  he 
rose,  by  degrees,  till  he  became  the  principal  partner 
in  the  concern,  and,  eventually,  a  man  of  immense 
wealth,  and  the  chief  banker  in  Paris.  Here  was 
the  case  of  a  young  man,  who,  through  habits  of 
carefulness,  may  be  said  to  have  made  his  fortune  by 
a  pin. 

Some  children  form  dilatory  habits.  They  will  do 
what  they  are  told,  but  they  never  do  it  right-away. 
For  example,  Mary  is  a  dilatory  girl.    If  her  mother 

says  to  her,  "Mary,  go  up-stairs  and  bring  me  tho 

14* 


162     "an  inch  of  time/'  and  the  dying  queen. 

baby's  blue  frock  from  the  closet."  x"Yes,  ma," 
says  Mary,  "I'll  go  in  a  minute;"  and  then  she  will 
go  on  with  her  reading  or  play,  and  keep  her  mother 
waiting  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  John  is  a  dilatory 
boy.  His  father  said  to  him  one  day,  "John,  I  want 
you  to  take  this  letter  to  the  post-office  directly  after 
dinner."  "Yes,  sir,"  said  John.  But,  after  dinner, 
be  went  to  play  for  an  hour  or  two.  Then,  it  was 
too  late  for  the  mail ;  and  this  was  the  cause  of  a 
very  serious  loss  to  his  father.  That  boy  will  be 
one  of  those  who  is  always  too  late.  When  going 
on  a  journey,  he  will  reach  the  wharf  two  or  three 
minutes  after  the  boat  has  started.  He  will  learn  to 
put  off  doing  things  at  the  right  time,  when  he  is 
young,  and  the  habit  will  remain  with  him  when  he 
grows  up.  He  will  learn  to  do  this  in  little  things, 
and  then  he  will  go  on  to  do  it  in  great  things.  And 
in  just  this  way  multitudes  will  lose  their  souls  at 
last.  When  Elizabeth,  the  great  and  gifted,  but  am- 
bitious, queen  of  England,  was  dying,  she  cried  out, 
"An  inch  of  time  !  Millions  of  money  for  an  inch 
of  time  !"  Poor  woman  !  she  was  lying  on  a  splen- 
did bed ;  she  had  been  used  to  have  a  new  dress 
every  day;  she  had  ten  thousand  dresses  in  her 
wardrobe,  and  at  her  feet  a  kingdom  on  which  the 
sun  never  sets: — but  all  was  of  no  value  then.  She 
had  lived  for  seventy  years,  but  had  put  off  prepa- 
ration for  eternity  to  the  last.  That  which  should 
have  occupied  her  whole  lifetime,  wras  crowded  into 
a  few  moments ;  and,  when  it  was  too  late,  the 
wealth  of  her  kingdom  would  have  been  given  for 
"ar  inch  of  time !" 


A  CHILD   KNOWN    BY   HIS    COMPANY.  16S 

Other  children  form  prompt  habits.  When  they 
are  told  to  do  any  thing,  they  go  and  do  it  at  once. 
If  they  are  reading,  when  called,  they  will  lay  the 
book  down  in  a  moment.  If  they  are  at  play,  they 
break  off  without  any  delay,  and  hasten  to  do  what 
is  required  of  them.  And  this  habit  is  of  great  im- 
portance in  order  to  success  in  life.  General  Wash- 
ington was  never  known  to  fail  in  meeting  an  en- 
gagement, or  even  to  be  late  at  an  engagement,  in 
all  his  life.  This  is  a  most  valuable  habit  to  form, 
and  one  which  every  person  should  acquire  who  de- 
sires to  succeed  in  life. 

And  then  the  company  which  he  keeps  goes  far  to 
make  up  those  "doings"  of  a  child  by  which  he  may 
be  known.  The  choice  of  companions  is  a  very  im- 
portant thing.  Few  things  have  more  to  do  with 
the  formation  of  our  character  than  the  company 
we  keep.  You  can  generally  tell  what  sort  of  a 
person  any  one  is,  by  noticing  what  kind  of  company 
he  chooses.  There  is  a  little  animal  called  the  cha- 
meleon, which  is  said  to  change  its  color  according 
to  the  light  it  is  seen  in,  or  the  ground  it  is  seen  on. 
But  we  all  have  something  of  this  quality.  We 
soon  grow  like  the  persons  we  associate  with ;  and 
this  makes  it  important  that  we  should  be  very 
careful  who  those  persons  are.  There  was  a  gentle- 
man, once,  who  was  very  particular  about  the  com- 
pany that  his  children  kept.  One  day  he  had  for- 
bidden his  daughter  Susan,  with  her  brother,  to  go 
into  certain  company  which  they  were  very  anxious 
to  unite  with.  "Dear  father,"  said  Susan,  "you 
must  think  us  very  childish  if  you  suppose  we  could 


164  THE   DANGER   OF   HANDLING   COALS. 

not  go  into  this  company  without  being  injured 
by  it." 

The  father,  in  silence,  took  a  dead  coal,  from  the 
grate,  and  reached  it  to  his  daughter. 

"It  will  not  burn  you,  my  child,"  said  he;  "take 
it." 

She  did  so,  and,  behold,  her  delicate  white  hand 
was  soiled,  and  blackened ;  and  so,  as  it  happened, 
was  her  white  dress  also. 

"We  cannot  be  too  careful  in  handling  coals," 
said  Susan,  with  a  little  feeling  of  vexation. 

"That  is  true,"  said  her  father;  "for  you  see,  my 
child,  that  coals,  even  when  they  do  not  burn,  will 
surely  blacken.  And  so  it  is  with  improper  com- 
pany." 

These,  then,  are  the  things  by  which  a  child  may 
be  known.  And  thus  we  have  the  answer  to  our 
first  question. 

Now,  the  other  question  is : —  What  may  be  known 
of  a  child,  by  his  doings  ?  This  can  be  answered  in 
much  shorter  time  than  the  other.  And,  in  answer- 
ing it,  We  may  say  that  you  can  tell  a  child's  fortune 
by  his  doings.  There  are  some  wicked  persons  who 
pretend  to  be  fortune-tellers  ;  and  to  be  able  to  find 
out,  in  various  ways,  all  about  what  will  happen  to 
anybody,  for  years  to  come.  And  many  people  are 
foolish  enough  to  believe  them.  These  people  mean 
by  fortune,  the' things  which  they  suppose  will  hap- 
pen to  them,  as  if  it  were  by  chance.  But  there  is 
no  such  thing  as  fortune  in  this  sense.  Our  word 
"fortune"  comes  from  the  name  of  one  of  the  idol- 
gods   that  used  to  be  worshipped  by  the  Romans. 


FORTUNE,  A  HEATHEN  WORD.  165 

They  called  this  god  Fortuna.  She  was  represented 
as  a  female,  blindfolded,  and  having  a  horn  of  plenty 
in  one  hand,  ont  of  which  she  scattered  blessings 
among  the  people,  at  hap-hazard,  without  any 
knowledge,  or  discrimination.  Now,  we  all  know, 
my  dear  children,  that  this  is  a  heathen  idea.  There 
is  no  such  person,  or  thing,  as  fortune,  in  this  sense. 
And  it  is  just  as  wrell  to  avoid  the  use  of  the  word, 
or  at  least  to  avoid  attaching  any  such  idea  to  it. 
The  blessings  we  receive  are  not  given  to  us  by 
blind  chance.  The  Bible  tells  us  that  "  every  good 
gift,  and  every  perfect  gift,  is  from  above,  and  cometh 
down  from  the  Father  of  lights."  Again,  it  tells  us 
that  it  is  God  who  gives  us  "life,  and  breath,  and  all 
things."  But  God  does  not  shut  his  eyes,  neither  is 
he  blindfolded,  when  he  bestows  blessings  on  his 
people.  ISTo ;  he  does  it  with  his  eyes  open.  He 
knows  what  he  gives,  and  he  knows  to  whom  he 
gives  it.  And  he  gives  the  best  things  he  has,  to 
those  who  love  him  most.  I  do  not  mean  by  this 
that  he  gives  the  most  money,  or  the  largest  propor- 
tion of  the  good  things  of  this  life,  to  those  who  love 
him.  Oh,  no ;  for  these  are  not,  by  any  means,  the 
best  things  God  has  to  give.  His  grace,  and  his 
spirit,  and  the  things  which  belong  to  salvation, — 
these  are  God's  best  gifts.  These  are  his  real  good 
things.  And  these  he  has  promised  to  give  to  those 
who  love  him. 

But  you  may  ask,  What  has  all  this  to  do  with  tell- 
ing a  child's  fortune  ?  And  how  can  this  be  told  by 
his  doings?  Why,  it  has  a  good  deal  to  do  with  it; 
and  let  me  show  vou  how.     God  has  commanded  ua 


166  HOW   TO   TELL   FORTUNES. 

to  do  certain  tilings.  If  we  do  them,  lie  has  pio- 
mised  to  bless  us  and  make  us  happy.  It  is  only 
the  blessing  of  God  that  will  give  us  a  good  fortune. 
If  we  fail  to  obtain  his  blessing,  we  shall  have  a  bad 
fortune.  And  if  you  want  to  find  out  whether  any 
person  is  likely  to  receive  God's  blessing,  you  must 
inquire  whether  he  is  doing  what  God  commands 
him  to  do.  And  how  can  we  tell  this  ?  Why,  by 
looking  at  "his  doings."  God's  commands  to  us 
refer  to  our  "doings."  That  is,  they  refer  to  "the 
tempers  we  indulge,  and  the  habits  we  form,  and 
the  company  we  keep." 

Now,  show  me  a  child  who  is  cross,  and  fretful, 
and  selfish  in  his  temper;  who  is  idle,  and  care- 
less, and  dilatory  in  his  habits ;  and  who  keeps 
company  with  persons  like  himself,  or  worse :  and 
I  will  tell  you  that  child's  fortune,  just  as  easily 
as  I  could  tell  you  how  many  twice  five  make,  in 
addition.  That  child  will  grow  up  to  be  poor,  and 
miserable,  and  good  for  nothing  in  this  world;  and, 
in  the  world  to  come,  he  will  be  unhappy  forever. 
But  show  me  a  child  who  is  striving,  by  the  help  of 
God,  to  be  kind,  and  patient,  and  generous  in  his 
temper;  industrious,  and  careful,  and  prompt  in  his 
habits ;  and  who  keeps  company  with  those  who  love 
and  fear  God,  and  is  striving  to  become  like  them, 
and  I  will  tell  you  that  child's  fortune  just  as  easily 
as  in  the  other  case. 

You  can  tell  what  the  farmer's  fortune  will  be, 
when  you  see  him  rising  early,  and  working  late, 
and  ploughing,  and  sowing,  and  tilling  his  grounds 
with  untiring  care,  and  industry.    You  can  tell  what 


THE  FARMER  PLOUGHING. 


p.  106. 


HOW   FORTUNES   ARE   MADE.  1G7 

the  merchant's  fortune  will  be,  when  you  see  him 
always  in  his  place,  and  doing  every  thing  in  hi3 
power  to  make  his  business  prosper.  Solomon  says, 
uSeest  thou  a  man  diligent  in  his  business?  he 
shall  stand  before  kings."  That  means,  he  will  be 
sure  to  succeed. 

Bear  in  mind,  my  dear  children,  that  you  are  mak- 
ing your  fortunes  now,  every  day.  You  have  read  in 
story-books  about  persons  "going  off  to  seek  theii 
fortunes."  You  can  do  this  just  as  well  by  staying  a1 
home,  and  a  great  deal  better  too.  You  are  all  busy 
now  in  making  your  fortunes.  The  tempers  you  are 
indulging,  the  habits  you  are  forming,  and  the  com- 
pany you  are  keeping,  are  all  helping  to  make  them. 
What  kind  of  tempers,  and  habits,  and  company 
are  they  ?  What  an  important  question  this  is ! 
How  careful  you  should  be  to  find  out  what  is 
wrong  in  your  tempers  or  habits,  and  pray  to  God 
to  help  you  to  correct  it  at  once !  It  is  very  easy 
to  do  it  now.  It  will  be  very  hard  by-and-by.  Re- 
member the  fable  of  the  crocodile  and  the  ichneu- 
mon. A  crocodile  of  great  size,  and  fierceness,  in- 
fested the  banks  of  the  Nile,  and  spread  terror,  and 
desolation,  through  all  the  surrounding  country.  He 
devoured  the  shepherds  and  the  sheep,  the  herds- 
men and  the  cattle,  together.  Everybody  fled  from 
before  him.  Various  plans  were  devised,  and  many 
efforts  made,  for  his  destruction,  but  in  vain.  A 
public  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  was  held  to  con- 
sider what  should  be  done,  to  rid  the  country  of  this 
plague.  While  they  were  consulting  together,  the 
ichneumon  stepped  forth,  and  thus  addressed  them : 


168  THE    CROCODILE   AND   THE    ICHNEUMON. 

~ (the  ichneumon  is  a  small  animal,  something  like 
a  lizard,  and  lives  on  the  eggs  of  crocodiles) — "  I 
perceive  your  distress,  my  friends,  and,  though  1 
cannot  assist  you  in  your  present  difficulty,  }-et  I  can 
offer  you  some  advice,  that  may  be  of  use  to  you  for 
the  future.  A  little  prudence,  is  worth  all  your 
courage ;  it  may  be  glorious  to  overcome  a  great 
evil,  but  the  wisest  way  is  to  prevent  it.  You  de- 
spise the  crocodile  while  he  is  small,  and  weak ;  but, 
when  he  gains  his  full  size,  and  strength,  you  fear 
him,  and  flee  from  him.  You  see,  I,  am  a  poor,  little, 
feeble  creature,  yet  I  am  much  more  terrible  to  the 
crocodile,  and  more  useful  to  the  country,  than  you 
are.  I  attack  him  in  the  egg  ;  and  while  you  are  con- 
triving, for  months  together,  how  to  get  rid  of  one 
crocodile,  and  all  to  no  purpose  ;  I  effectually  destroy 
fifty  of  them,  in  a  day."  And  then,  attached  to  the 
fable  was  this 

"MORAL. 

"This  fable,  dear  child,  is  intended  to  show 
The  danger  of  suffering  ill  habits  to  grow ; 
For  the  fault  of  a  week  may  be  conquered,  'tis  clear, 
Much  easier  than  if  it  went  on  for  a  year." 

Now,  let  me  entreat  you  to  follow  the  example  of 
the  ichneumon.  When  you  find  out  a  bad  temper 
or  habit,  attack  it  in  the  egg.  Don't  wait  till,  like  the 
crocodile,  it  grows  so  strong,  and  fierce  that  you  can 
do  nothing  with  it.  But  don't  try  to  do  this,  in  your 
own  strength.  If  you  wish  to  succeed,  you  must 
pray  for  Jesus  to  help  you.  Without  him  we  can 
do  nothing.  But  by  his  help  we  can  do  all  things. 
And,  if  we  have  his  grace  given  to  us,  then  we  shall 


god's  help  necessary.  169 

be  able  to  have  our  ways  ordered  so  as  to  please 
him ;  we  shall  "  love  the  things  which  he  com- 
mands, and  desire  those  which  he  does  promise ; 
and  so,  among  the  sundry  and  manifold  changes  of 
the  world,  our  hearts  will  surely  then  be  fixed  where 
true  joys  are  to  be  found."  And  the  Lord  grant 
that  this  may  be  the  case  with  us  all,  for  Jesus'  sake ! 
Amen. 


THE  MILLENNIAL  MENAGERIE. 

Isaiah  XI.  6 :  The  wolf  also  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and 
the  leopard  shall  lie  dov:n  with  the  kid ;  and  the  calf  and 
the  young  lion  and  the  fading  together ;  and  a  little  child 
shall  lead  them. 

I  remember,  several  years  ago,  my  dear  cLildren, 
when  returning  from  England,  in  a  packet-ship, 
there  was  a  little  boy  among  the  steerage-passengers 
who  became  a  great  favorite  with  those  on  board. 
He  was  not  more  than  three  or  four  years  old.  And, 
as  he  had  been  so  unfortunate  as  to  lose  the  use  of 
one  eye,  but  had  a  good  voice,  and  was  very  fond  of 
singing,  which  he  did  very  well,  the  cabin-passen- 
gers all  took  a  great  interest  in  him.  Very  often, 
after  dinner,  we  would  tail  him  upon  the  quarter- 
deck and  bribe  him  to  sing  for  us,  by  offering  him 
nuts  and  raisins.  Among  the  pieces  that  he  liked 
most  to  sing,  and  that  we  were  the  most  fond  of 
hearing,  was  one  about  "The  good  time  coming." 
When  a  circle  of  listeners  was  gathered  round  him, 
and  the  tempting  reward  of  his  performances  had 
been  exhibited  to  him,  he  would  clear  his  throat, 
and  turn  up  the  white  of  his  blind  eye,  very  funnily, 
and  begin : — 

"There's  a  good  time  coming; 
There's  a  good  time  coming; 
Boy  a,  wait  a  little  longer. 
170 


THE   HAPPINESS   OF   THE    MILLENNIUM.  171 

We  may  not  live  to  see  the  day, 
But  earth  shall  glitter  in  the  ray 
Of  the  good  time  coming." 

I  suppose  this  poor  child  did  not  understand  the 
real  meaning  of  the  words  he  used  to  sing.  He 
never  thought,  perhaps,  that  he  was  singing  about 
a  time  of  which  God  has  spoken  in  the  Bible,  and 
the  coming  of  which  is  just  as  certain,  as  it  is  that 
the  s\m  will  set  to-night,  and  rise  again  to-morrow 
morning.  This  time  is  commonly  called  the  mil- 
lennium. This  name  is  not  given  to  it  in  the  Bible. 
Millennium  means  a  thousand  years.  And,  as  the 
Bible  tells  us  that  this  "  good  time  coming"  will  last 
a  thousand  years,  that  is  the  reason  why  this  name 
has  been  given  to  it. 

The  prophet  Isaiah  was  speaking  of  this  time  when 
he  wrote  the  words  of  our  text.  When  it  comes,  Satan 
will  not  be  permitted  to  go  about  the  earth  and  tempt 
people  as  he  does  now ;  but  he  will  be  driven  out,  and 
fastened  up  in  the  bottomless  pit,  and  made  to  stay 
there  all  the  time.  There  will  be  no  sickness  in  the 
world  then;  no  sorrow,  and  no  sin.  No  earthquakes 
will  rend  the  ground;  no  storms  nor  tempests  will 
sweep  over  it.  No  scorching  heat,  nor  biting  frosts, 
will  be  experienced  then.  No  wars  will  then  be 
waged;  no  blood  will  then  be  shed;  no  violence  nor 
quarrelling  will  then  be  heard.  All  the  people  in  the 
earth  will  then  be  good  and  holy.  There  will  be  as 
much  beauty  and  happiness,  all  over  the  world  then, 
as  there  was  in  the  garden  of  Eden  before  Adam 
sinned.  Earth  will  then  be  like  heaven.  All  the 
people  of  the  world  will  then  be  under  one  govern- 


172  A   MENAGERIE   WORTH    SEEING. 

ment.  The  capital  of  that  government  will  be  Je- 
rusalem, which  will  be  rebuilt,  in  great  glory.  And 
Jesus  will  be  the  head  of  that  government.  He  will 
not  be  on  the  earth,  all  the  time,  but  he  will  occupy 
the  throne  of  David  at  Jerusalem,  and  will  often 
appear  in  great  glory  to  his  people  there. 

What  a  happy  time  that  will  be  !  When  we  think 
of  it,  we  may  well  take  up  the  language  of  the  hymn, 
and  say, — 

"Rejoice!  rejoice!  the  promised  time  is  coming; 
Rejoice !  rejoice  !  the  wilderness  shall  bloom  : 

And  Zion's  children  then  shall  sing, 

1  The  deserts  all  are  blossoming.' 
Rejoice!  rejoice!  the  promised  time  is  coming, 
Rejoice!  rejoice!  the  wilderness  shall  bloom : 

The  gospel-banner,  wide  unfurled, 

Shall  wave  in  triumph  o'er  the  world, 

And  every  creature,  bond  or  free, 

Shall  hail  that  glorious  jubilee." 

Many  wonderful  sights  will  be  witnessed  when 
this  time  comes.  One  of  these  will  be  that  which 
the  prophet  Isaiah  describes  in  our  text.  You  have 
often  been  to  the  menagerie,  to  see  a  collection  of 
wild  animals.  But  you  have  always  seen  them  put 
in  separate  cages,  with  strong  iron  bars,  to  keep  them 
from  devouring  one  another;  or  from  tearing  to 
pieces  the  people  who  came  near  them.  But  here, 
the  prophet  describes  to  us  a  millennial  menagerie. 
They  will  need  no  separate  cages,  nor  iron  bars  then. 
For  then  "the  wolf  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb;  and 
the  leopard  shall  lie  down  with  the  kid;  and  the 
calf  and  the  young  lion  and  the  fatling  together; 
and  a  little  child  shall   lead   them."     And  in  the 


TWO   LESSONS   FROM   A   MENAGERIE.  173 

next  verses,  the  prophet  goes  on  to  say,  "  And  the 
cow  and  the  bear  shall  feed ;  their  young  ones  shall 
lie  down  together ;  and  the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like 
the  ox.  And  the  sucking  child  shall  play  on  the 
hole  of  the  asp,  and  the  weaned  child  shall  put  his 
hand  on  the  cockatrice's  den.  They  shall  not  hurt, 
nor  destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain :  for  the  earth 
shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the 
waters  cover  the  sea." 

Now,  we  may  consider  the  prophet  in  our  text  as 
teaching  us  two  important  things. 

In  the  first  place,  he  points  out  to  us  here,  the  change 
which  will  take  place  in  the  wild  beasts,  to  fit  them  for  the 
millennium. 

And,  in  the  second  place,  he  points  out  the  change  which 
must  take  place  in  us,  to  fit  us  for  heaven. 

"The  wTolf  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb;  and  the 
leopard  shall  lie  down  with  the  kid;  and  the  calf 
and  the  young  lion  and  the  fatling  together;  and  a 
little  child  shall  lead  them."  This  shows  us  the 
change  that  will  take  place  in  the  wild  beasts,  to  fit 
them  for  the  millennium.  From  what  is  here  said, 
we  learn  that  they  will  lose  their  fierceness,  and  all 
their  savage  qualities.  They  will  no  longer  fight, 
and  tear,  and  devour  each  other.  Now,  we  are  ac- 
customed, from  our  childhood,  to  repeat,  and  sing 
the  words  of  Dr.  Watts's  sweet,  and  simple  hymn  :— • 

"  Let  dogs  delight  to  bark  and  bite, 
For  God  lias  made  them  so ; 
Let  bears  and  lions  growl  and  fight, 
For  'tis  their  nature  too." 

But  this  hymn  will  have  to  be  altered,  when  the 
15* 


174  TIIE   ANIMALS   CHANGED. 

millennium  comes.  Then,  the  dogs  will  no  longer 
delight  to  bark  and  bite.  Then,  it  will  not  be  the 
nature  of  the  bears,  and  lions,  to  growl  and  tight.  It 
would  be  a  slander  upon  the  animals,  to  sing  this 
hymn  about  them  then.  They  will  not  live  upon 
one  another  then,  but  upon  grass,  and  vegetables. 
Then,  the  prophet  says,  "the  lion  will  eat  straw 
like  the  ox."  Now,  some  good  people  always  smile, 
when  they  hear  anybody  say  this.  They  point  to 
the  teeth  of  the  lion,  or  the  bear;  or  to  their  sto- 
machs, and  say,  "Why,  don't  you  see  that  these  are 
not  adapted  to  eat,  or  digest,  any  thing  but  animal 
food  ?  It  is  impossible  that  these  animals  should 
ever  live  on  grass,  or  vegetables."  Well,  then,  you 
are  ready  to  ask,  "  What  do  these  people  do  with 
the  words  of  our  text,  and  similar  passages  in  the 
Bible?"  I'll  tell  you  what  they  do  with  them. 
They  say  that  these  words  are  only  figurative ;  and 
that  the  wild  beasts,  here  spoken  of,  mean  wicked 
men  ;  and  that  the  change  in  the  habits  of  the  beasts, 
refers  to  the  change  that  will  take  place  then,  in  the 
tempers,  and  dispositions  of  men.  But  this  is  not 
the  meaning  of  these  passages,  my  dear  children. 
They  mean  just  what  they  say.  The  prophets  were 
not  using  figures,  but  stating  facts,  when  they  ut- 
tered these  words.  The  wild  beasts  of  the  earth,  as 
well  as  the  men,  and  women,  and  children,  living  in 
it,  will  share  in  the  blessedness  of  the  millennium, 
when  it  comes ;  and  their  share  of  that  blessedness, 
will  lie  in  just  the  change  spoken  of  in  the  text. 
And  I  wish  now  to  give  you  three  good,  and  suffi- 
cient reasons  for  the  view  I  am  taking.      The  firs\ 


NO  DISCORD,  OR  BLACK  SPOTS  IN  THE  MILLENNIUM.     175 

reason  is,  that  the  state  of  the  world,  then,  will  make  this 
change  in  the  animals  necessary.  The  world  itself  will 
be  different  from  what  it  is  now.  Its  climate  and 
seasons  will  be  different :  its  vegetable  productions 
will  be  different;  "instead  of  the  thorn  shall  come 
up  the  fir-tree  ;  instead  of  the  brier,  the  myrtle-tree  ; 
the  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  shall  be  glad, 
and  the  desert  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the 
rose:"  its  inhabitants  will  be  different;  "the  people 
shall  be  all  righteous,  and  they  shall  know  the  Lord, 
from  the  least  even  unto  the  greatest  of  them."  And, 
when  every  thing  else  is  changed,  is  it  likety  that 
there  will  be  no  change  in  the  animals?  Surely  not. 
To  change  every  thing  else  and  leave  the  animals 
unchanged,  would  spoil  the  beauty  and  harmony  of 
the  scene. 

You  know  that  if  several  persons  attempt  to  sing 
together,  they  must  all  sing  the  same  tune,  and 
all  get  the  proper  pitch,  or  it  will  create  discord. 
Suppose  there  were  ten  persons  in  a  room,  and, 
while  eight  of  them  were  singing  "Yankee  Doodle," 
two  should  strike  up  "Old  Hundred:"  what  horrible 
discord  it  would  create !  Or  suppose  a  collier,  who 
had  been  working  in  a  coal-mine  all  the  week,  should 
come  out  on  Saturday  afternoon,  and,  washing  his 
face,  so  as  to  go  to  church  on  Sunday,  should  leave 
his  nose,  or  one  of  his  cheeks,  as  black  as  coal :  how 
strange  it  would  seem!  Now,  my  dear  children, 
when  God  undertakes  to  make  music,  there  is  no 
discord  in  it.  Every  sound  is  in  perfect  harmony 
with  all  the  rest.  When  God  undertakes  to  make 
things  clean,  he  leaves  no  black  marks  upon  them. 


176  GOD   IS    ABLE    TO    CHANGE    THE    ANIMALS. 

God  never  does  any  thing  by  hakes:  All  that  lie 
does  is  done  well,  and  thoroughly.  And  when  he 
is  speaking  of  the  millennium  —  this  "good  time 
coming" — in  one  place  in  the  Bible,  he  says,  "Be- 
hold, I  will  make  all  things  new."  And  if  "all 
things"  are  to  be  made  new,  then  it  is  perfectly  clear 
that  the  beasts  of  the  earth  must  be  included.  For, 
if  these  are  left  with  their  old  dispositions,  and  tem- 
pers, and  habits  of  living,  it  cannot  be  said  that  "all 
things"  are  made  new.  The  state  of  the  world  at 
that  time,  then,  will  make  it  necessary  that  there 
should  be  this  change  in  the  animals. 

Another  reason  for  believing  that  this  will  be  so,  is  that 
God  £9  able  to  do  it  JSobody  will  deny  this.  He  can 
easily  do  whatever  he  wants  to  do.  Nothing  is  im- 
possible with  God.  And  not  only  is  nothing  impos- 
sible, but  nothing  is  difficult,  or  hard,  for  him  to  do. 
God  can  make  a  world,  as  easily  as  he  can  make  a 
grain  of  sand.  God  can  change  the  teeth,  and  sto- 
machs, of  wild  beasts  just  as  easily  as  he  can  change 
the  hearts,  and  tempers,  of  wicked  men.  But  every- 
body allows  that  wicked  men  will  be  changed,  when 
the  millennium  comes.  They  allow  that  God's 
power  is  able  to  make  this  change.  But  should  they 
not  allow  that  the  wild  beasts  will  be  changed  also  ? 
Is  not  the  same  power  which  makes  one  of  these 
changes  just  as  able  to  make  the  other  also  ?  And 
has  not  God  promised,  just  as  plainly,  and  positively, 
to  do  one  of  these  things,  as  he  has  to  do  the  other? 
This,  then,  is  a  good  reason  why  we  should  expect 
to  see  it  done. 

And,  then,  there  is  a  third  reason  why  this  change 


THE  FOOD  OF  THE  ANIMALS  IN  EDEN.        77 

in  the  animals  should  take  place,  and  that  is,  that 
it  will  only  be  restoring  them  to  the  condition  in  which 
they  were  created,  in  the  beginning.  God  did  not  make 
the  beasts  of  the  earth  wild,  at  the  first.  The  ani- 
mals did  not  devour  one  another,  or  live  on  flesh, 
when  they  were  in  the  garden  of  Eden.  Grass  was 
their  food  then;  and  why  may  it  not  be  so  again? 
God  said  expressly  to  Adam,  (see  Gen.  i.  30,)  "  To 
every  beast  of  the  earth,  and  to  every  fowl  of  the  air, 
and  to  every  thing  that  creepeth  upon  the  earth, 
wherein  there  is  life,  /  have  given  every  green  herb  for 
meaW  God  made  the  animals  live  on  vegetables 
then,  just  as  man  did.  And  it  was  very  probable 
that  they  had  nothing  else  to  eat,  till  after  the  de- 
luge. We  know  very  well  that  God  never  gave  men 
permission  to  eat  flesh,  till  after  Noah  came  out  of 
the  ark.  And  it  is  most  likely  that  he  did  the  same 
with  the  beasts.  And  since  we  know  that  the  mil- 
lennium— the  "good  time  coming" — is  intended  to 
put  the  world  itself,  and  the  people  who  live  in  it, 
back  in  the  position  which  they  occupied  before 
Adam  sinned,  why  should  it  not  put  the  animals 
back  into  the  same  state  also  ?  I  think,  my  dear 
children,  that  these  reasons  are  sufficient  to  show 
that  the  words  of  our  text  mean  just  what  they  say; 
that  when  lions,  and  bears,  and  wolves,  are  spoken 
of,  it  is  not  men,  and  women,  who  are  intended,  but 
real  live  lions,  and  bears,  and  wolves  ;  and  that,  when 
a  change  in  their  dispositions,  and  habits,  is  spoken 
of,  it  means  a  real  change  in  these  animals  them- 
selves ;  such  a  change  as  will  be  necessary  to  fit  them 
for  the  state  of  things  that  will  exist  in  the  millen- 


178  A   MILLENNIAL   BOY   AND   HIS    MENAGERIE. 

nium.  This  is  the  first  thing  which  the  prophet 
teaches  us,  in  the  text.  What  a  pleasant  thing  it 
will  he,  when  this  comes  to  pass !  Then,  there  will 
be  no  insects  to  sting;  no  serpents  to  bite;  and  no 
wild  beasts  to  devour.  Young  children,  in  the  mil- 
lennium, will  be  able  to  make  pets,  and  playthings, 
of  little  lions,  and  tigers,  and  bears,  and  wolves,  just 
as  they  do  now  of  rabbits,  and  squirrels,  and  guinea- 
pigs.  And  I  suppose  that,  when  Isaiah  wrote  the 
words  of  our  text,  he  meant  to  give  us  a  pictorial 
view  of  the  way  in  which  a  millennial  boy  would 
gather  a  menagerie  of  animals  around  him,  for  his 
amusement;  and  lead  them  through  the  woods ;  or 
play  with  them  on  the  lawn  before  his  father's 
house,  just  as  we  have  sometimes  seen  boys  play- 
ing, in  our  times,  with  a  lamb,  or  a  kid,  or  a  dog. 
A  line  time,  for  play,  the  boys  and  girls  will  have,  in 
those  days ! 

But,  there  is  another  thing,  which  we  may  con- 
sider this  text  as  teaching  us ;  and  that  is,  the  change 
which  must  take  place  in  us,  in  order  that  we  may  be  Jit 
for  heaven. 

JS'ow,  I  have  said,  my  dear  children,  that  the  ani- 
mals spoken  of  in  our  text  do  not  mean  human 
beings, —  men,  women,  and  children;  and  that  is 
very  true.  Our  text,  in  its  true  meaning,  refers  to 
real  animals,  and  nothing  else.  But,  the  Bible  does 
sometimes  represent  different  sorts  of  people,  under 
the  figure  of  different  animals.  For  instance,  you 
remember,  in  one  of  his  parables,  in  which  Jesus  was 
speaking  of  the  day  of  judgment,  he  compared  the 
good  people,  on  his  right  hand,  to  sheep ;  and  the 


TIIE    WOLF   CLASS.  179 

wicked,  on  his  left,  to  goats.  In  another  place,  he 
compares  false  teachers,  to  ravening  wolves.  And  in 
the  twenty-second  Psalm,  the  wicked  men,  who  cru- 
cified Jesus,  are  spoken  of  as  dogs,  as  strong  bulls, 
as  unicorns,  and  roaring  lions.  And  so,  although 
this  is  not  what  the  prophet  means,  we  may  consider 
the  different  animals,  here  spoken  of,  as  representing 
different  kinds  of  children,  and  thus,  we  may  look 
upon  this  passage  as  pointing  out  the  change  which 
they  must  experience,  if  they  hope  to  enter  heaven. 

Let  us  see,  now,  how  many  of  these  wild  animals 
are  spoken  of  in  our  text.  There  is  the  wolf,  and  the 
leopard,  and  the  lion,  and,  in  the  verse  following, 
the  bear.  These  may  be  regarded  as  representing 
four  classes  of  children,  whose  characters  correspond 
to  the  qualities  which  mark  these  different  animals; 
and  who  must  all  be  changed,  in  order  to  make  them 
fit  for  heaven. 

Now,  the  first  class  of  characters,  represented  here,  is 
the  wolf  class.  Tins  is  a  large  class.  It  takes  in  all, 
who  may  be  described  as,  cross  children.  This  is  the 
quality  which  we  most  commonly  associate  with  the 
thought  of  the  wolf.  He  is  cross,  snappish,  and 
quarrelsome.  He  is  all  the  time  growling,  and  show- 
ing his  teeth.  He  seems  to  be  continually  on  the 
watch,  for  a  cause  of  quarrel  with  somebody;  and  if 
he  cannot  find  a  cause,  he  will  make  one.  We  see  this 
quality  exhibited,  in  the  fable  of  the  wolf,  and  the 
lamb,  who  met  at  the  same  stream  of  water,  to  get  a 
drink.  The  wolf  was  at  the  upper  part  of  the 
stream,  and  the  lamb  at  the  lower  part.  The  wolt 
^oked  angrily  at  the  lamb,  and  asked  him,  how  ho 


180  THE   LEOPARD    CLASS. 

dared  to  come  and  muddy  the  waterj  while  he  was 
drinking?  The  poor  lamb,  very  meekly,  replied  by 
observing  that  he  was  the  lower  down  the  stream  of 
the  two,  and,  therefore,  if  he  made  any  disturbance 
in  the  water,  it  would  flow  down  the  stream,  and  not 
up  it.  Upon  this,  the  wolf  flew  into  a  passion ;  and 
charged  the  lamb  with  contradicting  him;  and  pre- 
suming to  know  more  than  he  did;  and  then,  he 
sprung  upon  the  lamb,  and  tore  him  in  pieces.  This, 
was  acting  out  the  wolf's  character  completely.  And 
this,  is  very  much  the  spirit  which  cross  children 
manifest.  You  can  scarcely  speak  to  them,  or  look 
at  them,  but  they  have  something  sharp,  and  unkind 
to  say.  All  such  children  belong  to  the  wolf  class. 
And  they  must  be  changed,  before  they  can  be  fit  to 
enter  heaven.  Jesus  is  called  "the  Lamb  of  God." 
And  if  cross  children,  who  are  like  wolves,  hope  to 
dwell  with  him,  all  their  crossness  must  be  over- 
come. They  must  become  geutle,  and  kind,  and 
lamb-like,  as  Jesus  is.  And  then,  when  they  are 
happy  with  him  in  heaven,  it  may  well  be  said  that 
the  wolf  is  dwelling  with  the  lamb. 

The  second  class  of  character,  here  described,  is  the  leo- 
pard class.  The  quality  which  marks  the  leopard,  or 
the  tiger,  (for  they  are  nearly  alike,)  is  cruelty.  This 
is  stamped  upon  his  countenance.  You  can  see  it, 
glaring  out,  in  the  fierceness  of  his  eye.  Every  look, 
thai  you  take  at  him,  suggests  the  idea  of  cruelty. 
And  all  the  habits  of  the  leopard  show  that  this  is 
really  his  character.  There  is  nothing  kind,  or  ge- 
nerous about  him.  The  lion  will  only  kill  in  self- 
defence,  or  to  satisfy  his  hunger.     But  the  leopard 


THE   LEOPARD'S    SPOTS   IN   CHILDREN.  181 

will  kill,  for  the  mere  love  of  killing.  Cruelty  is  a 
part  of  his  nature,  and  he  delights  to  indulge  it.  One 
lamb,  or  sheep,  is  as  much  as  he  can  eat  at  a  meal; 
and  yet  he  will  worry,  and  kill,  a  whole  flock  to  gra- 
tify his  cruelty,  and  indulge  his  fondness  for  shed- 
ding blood. 

This  class  of  children,  I  am  glad  to  say,  is  much 
smaller  than  the  first  that  we  spoke  of;  but  yet  a 
good  many  belong  to  it.  You  can  tell  a  leopard,  as 
soon  as  you  see  him,  by  his  spots.  And  there  are 
certain  things,  about  the  children  of  this  class,  which 
may  be  looked  upon  as  the  spots  which  prove  that 
they  belong  to  the  leopard  tribe. 

When  you  see  children  worrying,  and  distressing, 
poor  helpless  creatures,  who  are  in  their  power; 
when  you  see  them  catching  flies,  and  killing  them, 
or  pulling  off  their  wings,  and  watching  them  hop 
about  in  their  misery;  when  you  see  them  beating, 
or  unkindly  treating,  some  poor  little  kitten,  or  dog, 
that  they  are  playing  with;  when  you  see  a  set  of 
boys  pelting  the  frogs,  beside  the  brook,  or  pond,  or 
throwing  stones  at  the  old  lame  horse,  as  he  limps 
over  the  commons,  trying  to  pick  up  a  little  grass, 
or  teasing  the  old  blind  beggar,  as  he  gropes  his  tot- 
tering way  from  door  to  door,  seeking  relief  in  his 
poverty;  or  when  you  see  the  larger  boys  and  girls, 
in  a  family,  uniting  in  some  trick  to  frighten  a 
younger  brother  or  sister,  and  then  laughing  heartily 
when  the  cries  and  shrieks  of  the  little  terrified  one 
are  heard, — oh,  this  is  crue'.  indeed  ! — then,  my  dear 
children,  you  may  point  to  these  things  and  say, 
"  There,  there  are  the  leopard's  spots."     You  may 

16 


132  THE    LION    CLASS — PRIDE. 

know  in  a  moment  to  what  class  these  children 
belong. 

But  there  is  no  cruelty  in  heaven  ;  and  none  with 
cruel  dispositions  can  enter  there.  Heaven  is  a  place 
where  love  and  kindness  prevail.  God  is  love:  and 
Jesus  is  love.  Love  is,  as  it  were,  the  atmosphere 
which  all  breathe  in  heaven.  And,  wherever  there 
is  a  child  whose  disposition  is  marked  by  unkind- 
ness  and  cruelty,  he  belongs  to  the  leopard  class : 
he  must  be  changed  if  he  hopes  to  go  to  heaven. 

The  third  kind  of  character  here  described  is  the  lion 
class.  "The  calf,  and  the  young  lion,  and  the  fatling 
together."  The  lion  is  always  called  the  ''king  of 
beasts."  He  has  some  very  line,  and  generous  quali- 
ties. These,  of  course,  will  not  require  to  be  changed. 
It  is  not  these  that  are  referred  to  here.  Only  that 
which  is  wrong,  will  need  to  be  altered;  and  only 
this,  therefore,  in  each  of  the  animals  can  be  in- 
tended. And  the  quality  in  the  lion,  that  I  suppose 
we  are  chiefly  to  look  at,  is  his  'pride.  It  seems  as  if 
he  knew  that  he  was  regarded  as  the  head  of  all  the 
animals.  How  stately  is  his  walk !  How  high  he 
carries  his  head !  How  he  seems  to  look  down  on 
all  the  inhabitants  of  the  forest,  as  though  none  of 
them  were  good  enough  to  range  over  the  same 
fields,  or  dwell  in  the  same  woods  with  him  !  A  look 
of  proud  disdain  may  be  seen  in  every  glance  of  his 
eye,  and  in  every  motion  of  his  noble  form. 

Now,  this  class  of  children  is  very  large.  How 
many  here,  are  under  the  influence  of  pride,  in  differ- 
ent ways  !  You  may  see  pride  in  the  toss  of  a  child's 
head,  in  the  glance  of  his  eye,  in  the  curl  of  his  lip, 


THE  BEAR  CLASS — SULLENNESS.  183 

and  in  the  haughtiness  of  manner  which  seems  to 
say  to  those  about  him,  especially  if  they  happen  to 
be  poorer  than  himself,  "  Stand  off;  you  are  not  good 
enough  to  keep  company  with  me."  My  dear  chil- 
dren, of  all  the  feelings  that  people  indulge,  pride, 
is  the  most  unmeaning,  the  most  ridiculous,  and 
among  the  most  sinful.  Some  one  has  said  that 
"pride  was  not  made  for  man."  This  is  very  true. 
Nobody  in  the  world,  not  even  the  richest,  or  wisest, 
or  greatest,  or  best  man  that  lives,  has  any  thing  to 
feel  proud  of,  and  no  right  to  feel  proud  at  all. 
There  is  no  pride  in  heaven.  There  were  some  an- 
gels there,  once,  who  began  to  feel  proud.  But  God 
drove  them  out  immediately,  and  would  not  let  them 
stay  there.  And  no  people  who  indulge  proud  feel- 
ings will  be  allowed  to  enter  heaven.  Jesus  says, 
"Learn  of  me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly."  If  we 
have  proud  hearts,  they  must  be  changed  before  we 
can  hope  to  go  to  heaven. 

But  there  is  a  fourth  kind  of  character  represented  in 
this  menagerie,  and  that  is  the  bear  class.  In  the  verse 
just  after  the  text  it  says,  "  The  cow,  and  the  bear 
shall  feed."  There  is  no  difficulty  at  all  in  telling 
the  quality  which  distinguishes  the  bear.  He  is 
known,  all  over  the  world,  for  his  sidlenness.  No- 
thing is  more  common  than  to  say  of  a  rude,  dis- 
agreeable person,  that  he  is  "as  surly  as  a  bear." 
No  matter  how  kindly  you  may  treat  a  bear,  or  how 
many  good  things  you  may  give  him,  it  seems  to 
make  no  impression  upon  him.  He  never  does  any 
thing  to  testify  his  gratitude.  If  you  speak  kindly 
to  a  dog,  and  throw  him  a  crust  of  bread  or  a  bone, 


184  WHAT   THE   BEAR   CLASS    MUST   LEARN. 

he  will  wag  his  tail,  and  caper  about,  and  try  ag 
plainly  as  he  can  to  say,  "  Thank  you,  thank  you ; 
I'm  very  much  obliged  to  you."  But  you  would 
have  to  give  a  great  many  crusts  of  bread  to  a  bear, 
before  you  would  get  a  wag  of  his  tail,  or  any  thing 
expressive  of  his  gratitude.  He  remains  the  same 
sub  en,  surly,  sulky  beast  all  the  time. 

Now,  the  children  in  this  class,  I  am  thankful  to 
say,  are  not  so  numerous  as  in  some  of  the  others. 
But  there  are  a  good  many  who  act  the  bear's  part, 
very  well.  They  look  all  the  time  sour,  and  dis- 
pleased. They  seldom  have  any  thing  to  say,  and, 
when  they  do  make  out  to  speak,  it  is  generally 
something  so  rough,  and  rude,  that  they  had  much 
better  have  left  it  unsaid.  They  hardly  ever  look 
pleasant,  or  act  kindly.  And  if  they  are  spoken  to, 
they  generally  growl  out  a  "yes,"  or  "no,"  or  the 
shortest,  and  surliest  possible  reply.  But,  when  the 
bear  comes  to  feed  with  the  cow,  in  the  millennium, 
he  will  be  a  very  different  kind  of  animal,  from  what 
he  is  now.  And  if  the  children  of  the  bear  class, 
wish  to  know  what  they  must  become  like,  in  order 
to  make  them  fit  for  heaven,  they  can  easily  find 
out  by  reading,  and  meditating  on,  such  passages  as 
these : — "As  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you, 
even  so  do  to  them."  "Be  pitiful;  be  courteous." 
"Put  on,  therefore,  as  the  elect  of  God,  bowels  of 
mercies,  kindness,  humbleness  of  mind,  meekness, 
long-suffering;,  forbearing  one  another,  and  forgiv- 
ing one  another,  even  as  Christ  forgave  you."  "Let 
all  bitterness,  and  wrath,  and  anger,  be  put  away 
from  you,  with  all  malice.     And  be  ye  kind  one  to 


THE    MULE    CLASS.  185 

another,  tender-hearted,  forgiving  one  another,  even 
as  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  hath  forgiven  you."  When 
these  surly  children  learn  to  exercise  the  sweet  spirit 
described  in  these  passages,  there  will  be  a  greater 
change  wrought  in  them,  than  that  which  the  beat 
will  exhibit,  when  he  learns  to  feed  in  the  meadow 
with  the  cow. 

These  four,  are  all  the  animals  spoken  of,  in  this 
millennial  menagerie.  But  I  wish  to  add  two  others 
to  them,  in  order  to  make  the  collection  more 
complete. 

We  may  speak  of  a  fifth  description  of  character,  which 
it  would  be  well  to  consider,  and  that  is  the  mule  class. 
"We  all  know  what  the  character  of  the  mule  is. 
The  thing  which  has  always  distinguished  him  is 
his  obstinacy,  or  stubbornness.  When  he  takes  a  no- 
tion, he's  fixed  in  it.  You  can't  whip  him  out  of  it ; 
you  can't  coax  him  out  of  it.  The  more  you  want 
him  to  do  any  thing  he  doesn't  like,  the  more  he 
won't.  The  rule  of  his  conduct  seems  to  be  just 
this : — 

"If  I  will,  Twill; — you  may  depend  on't ; 
But  if  I  won't,  I  won't  ; — and  there's  an  end  on't." 

This  is  the  mule  all  over.  And  how  many  chil- 
dren are  just  like  this !  Asking,  reasoning,  coax- 
ing, threatening,  are  all  lost  on  them.  They  are  so 
hard  to  bend,  that  they  put  you  in  mind  of  live  crow- 
bars. They  are  so  obstinate,  and  mule-like,  that  you 
almost  feel  tempted  to  measure  their  ears,  and  see  if 
there  is  not  some  sign  of  relationship  to  that  long- 
eared  animal.     My  dear  children,  who  belong  to 

16* 


186  THE   FOX   CLASS. 

this  class,  you  must  be  changed,  and  get  rid  of  this 
obstinacy,  if  you  hope  to  enter  heaven.  And  if  you 
wish  to  know  just  the  lesson  you  must  learn,  just 
the  feature  in  those  fit  for  heaven  which  you  should 
try  most  to  imitate,  you  will  find  it  in  James  iii.  17. 
It  is  this: — "Easy  to  be  entreated."  Think  of  this, 
when  the  next  obstinate  fit  comes  on,  and  pray  God 
to  make  you  "  easy  to  be  entreated." 

The  sixth,  and  last,  description  of  character,  that  I  would 
refer  to,  is  included  in  the  fox  class.  The  thing  which 
characterizes  the  fox  is  his  cunning.  He  is  a  low, 
mean,  cringing  animal,  full  of  tricks  and  falsehood. 
He  is  not  ashamed  to  rob  or  steal  if  he  can  only 
avoid  being  caught.  And  the  fox  class  of  children, 
I  am  sorry  to  say,  is  not  small.  They  all  have  a  sly 
way  of  doing  wrong  things.  They  seem  to  have  no 
sense  of  the  difference  between  right  and  wrong,  in 
certain  things.  But  they  have  a  very  keen  sense  of 
the  difference  between  being  found  out,  and  not  being 
found  out.  They  are  always  ready  to  slip  into  the 
pantry  and  take  a  little  sugar  or  preserves,  or  some 
of  the  cakes  put  away  there,  if  they  think  they  can 
only  do  it  unobserved,  as  the  fox  creeps  into  the 
hen-roost,  when  the  farmer  is  away  or  the  dog  is 
asleep. 

But  the  fox  will  have  to  quit  his  mean,  cunning 
tricks,  and  take  to  some  honest  way  of  getting  a 
living,  when  the  millennium  comes.  And  so  all  the 
children  of  this  class  must  be  changed,  and  give  up 
their  trickery  and  cunning,  if  they  would  be  made 
fit  for  heaven.  There  will  be  no  liars  in  heaven. 
None  who  use  deceit,  and  guile,  can  enter  there. 


HOW   WE   MAY   HELP   ON   THE   MILLENNIUM.  187 

Honesty,  sincerity,  plain-dealing,  and  straightfor- 
wardness, must  be  the  character  of  those  who  desire 
to  share  the  joys  of  that  blessed  place.  You  must 
either  give  up  the  thought  of  going  to  heaven,  or 
else  you  must  give  up  all  deceit  and  cunning. 

Now,  my  dear  children,  I  want  you  to  ask  your- 
selves, individually,  "To  which  of  these  classes  do  I 
belong?  Is  it  the  wTolf,  or  the  leopard,  or  the  lion, 
or  the  bear,  or  the  mule,  or  the  fox,  that  represents 
my  character?  Am  I  cross?  or  cruel?  or  proud?  or 
surly?  or  stubborn?  or  sly?"  And,  when  you  find 
out  what  your  fault  is,  pray  God  to  give  you  grace 
to  overcome  it.  If  you  want  to  stop  the  leak  in  a 
vessel,  you  must  first  find  out  where  it  is.  If  you 
wish  to  extinguish  a  fire,  you  must  ascertain  what  is 
burning.  And  so  it  is  here.  You  must  know  just 
what  your  fault  is,  and  then  try  to  get  it  changed. 

We  have  been  talking  about  the  millennium.  The 
question  is,  What  can  we  do  to  help  it  on  ?  We  can 
do  two  things.  We  can  try  to  get  our  own  hearts  changed. 
This  will  help  it  on.  It  will  not  come  till  all  the 
people  that  God  has  given  to  Jesus,  to  be  his  chil- 
dren, are  brought  to  know,  and  love,  and  serve  him. 
While  our  hearts  are  unchanged,  we  are  hinderances 
in  the  way  of  its  coming.  When  our  hearts  are 
changed,  that  very  change  will  help  on  the  mil- 
lennium. 

And  then  we  can  help  to  send  the  gospel  to  others  who 
are  without  it.  This,  too,  will  hasten  its  coming. 
Jesus  said,  "  The  gospel  must  be  preached,  for  a  wit- 
ness, to  all  nations,  and  then  it  will  come."  We  do 
not  have  to  wTait  till  all  nations  are  converted,  but 


188  PRAYER    FOR   THE    MILLENNIUM. 

only  till  they  have  had  opportunity  of  hearing  the 
gospel,  and  then  the  millennium  will  come.  So  that 
when  we  send  the  Bible  to  the  heathen,  or  send  the 
missionary  to  preach  it  to  them,  we  are  doing  the 
very  things  that  God  would  have  us  do  in  order  to 
hasten  the  time  when  "the  wolf  shall  dwell  with 
the  lamb,  and  the  leopard  shall  lie  down  with  the 
kid;  and  the  calf  and  the  young  lion  and  the  failing 
together;  and  a  little  child  shall  lead  them."  Then, 
let  us  seek  to  get  our  own  evil  natures  changed,  and 
let  us  do  all  we  can  to  send  the  gospel  to  those  who 
are  without  it.  And,  as  we  do  this,  let  our  constant 
prayer  be,  "  Thy  kingdom  come  !"  or,  in  the  beauti- 
ful lines  of  Bishop  Heber's  missionary  hymn, — 

"Waft,  waft,  ye  winds,  his  story. 

And  you,  ye  waters,  roll, 
Till,  like  a  sea  of  glory, 

It  spreads  from  pole  to  pole; 
Till  o'er  our  ransomed  nature 

The  Lamb  for  sinners  slain— 
Redeemer,  King,  Creator — 

In  bliss  returns  to  reign." 


THE  BEST  MERCHANDISE 

Prov.  III.  14:    The  merchandise  of  it  is  better  than  the  mer- 
chandise of  silver. 

A  merchant  is  one  who  buys  and  sells.  Mer- 
chandise denotes  the  things  which  a  merchant  buys 
and  sells.  If  you  walk  along  Market  Street,  you 
will  find  merchants  there,  of  different  kinds.  Some 
of  them  are  dry-goods  merchants,  some  of  them  are 
hardware  merchants,  some  of  them  are  china  mer- 
chants ;  and  you  will  see  their  merchandise,  in  the 
boxes  or  bales,  lying  along  the  street. 

But  the  merchandise  spoken  of  in  our  text  is  very 
different  from  this.  Here  Solomon  says,  "the  mer- 
chandise of  it."  Now,  the  question  is,  What  does 
this  it  refer  to  ?  The  merchandise  of  what  ?  If  you 
look  back  to  the  verse  before  our  text,  you  will  find 
that  Solomon  is  saying  there,  "  Happy  is  the  man 
that  findeth  wisdom;"  and  then  he  goes  on  to  say,  in 
our  text,  "  for  the  merchandise  of  it  is  better  than 
the  merchandise  of  silver." 

The  "it,"  then,  refers  to  wisdom;  and  wisdom, 
you  know,  my  dear  children,  means  true  religion, — the 
love  and  fear  of  God.  There  is  a  text  in  the  Pro- 
verbs which  says,  "  The  fear  ol  the  Lord  is  the  be- 
ginning of  wisdom."  This  si  ows  us  what  wisdom 
means. 

189 


190  THE    FIRST   REASON  : — CAN    BEGIN    EARLIER. 

Now,  we  learn  from  this  text,  then,  that  to  deal  in 
wisdom — to  be  concerned  with  religion — is  better 
than  to  deal  in  any  thing  else.  "  The  merchandise 
of  wisdom  is  better  than  the  merchandise  of 
silver." 

If  you  had  a  mine  of  gold  or  of  silver  on  your 
farm,  and  }'ou  were  occupied  in  getting  out  the  gold, 
or  silver,  and  selling  it,  then  this  gold  and  silver 
would  be  your  merchandise ;  these  would  be  the 
things  with  which  you  were  trading.  And  if  you 
had  such  mines  upon  your  farm  you  would  not  be 
willing  to  work  as  a  bricklayer,  or  shoemaker,  be- 
cause you  would  have  your  merchandise  in  gold  and 
silver,  and  you  would  think  it  better  to  be  occupied 
with  these  things,  than  with  any  thing  else.  But 
here  we  learn,  from  Solomon,  that  the  merchandise 
of  wisdom  is  better  than  even  that  of  silver  or 
gold. 

And  now  the  question  comes  up,  Why  is  the  mer- 
chandise of  wisdom  better  than  that  of  silver  ? 

I  wish  to  point  out  several  reasons  why  it  is  so ; — 
why  this  is  the  best  merchandise  that  any  person  can 
engage  in. 

The  fast  reason  is : — Because  it  is  a  business  you  can 
begin  sooner  than  you  can  any  other. 

If  you  wish  to  be  a  lawyer,  or  a  physician,  or  a 
minister,  you  must  finish  your  education,  and  go 
through  a  long  course  of  study,  to  fit  you  for  the  im- 
portant duties  you  will  have  to  perform.  You  must 
wait  till  you  are  twenty-one  years  of  age,  before  you 
can  begin  to  enter  these  professions.  So,  if  you 
wish  to  be  a  carpenter,  or  a  printer,  or  a  dry-goods 


SAMUEL    AND    TIMOTHY    BEGAN    EARLY.  191 

merchant,  you  must  serve  an  apprenticeship  to  these 
different  sorts  of  business,  and  wait  till  you  get  to 
be  of  age,  before  you  can  set  up  for  yourselves. 

But  it  is  very  different  with  the  merchandise  of 
which  we  are  now  speaking.  You  can  begin  this 
to-day.  The  youngest  among  you  can  begin  it  with- 
out waiting  another  hour.  Why,  children  as  young 
as  four  and  five  years  old  have  begun  to  be  wis- 
dom's merchants,  and  have  found  the  merchandise 
of  it  better  than  the  merchandise  of  silver! 

We  read  in  the  Bible  of  "-little  Samuel,"  who  was 
called  to  be  wisdom's  merchant  when  he  was  quite 
young.  I  suppose  he  was  not  more  than  seven  or 
eight  years  of  age,  when  God  first  called  him,  and 
when  he  began  to  trade  in  wisdom.  Then  we  read 
of  Timothy,  who,  "from  a  child,  had  known  the 
Scriptures,  which  were  able  to  make  him  wise  unto 
salvation." 

Did  you  ever  think  how  much  God  has  done  to 
show  his  interest  in  children,  and  his  earnest  desire 
to  have  them  en  erased  in  the  merchandise  of  wis- 
dom  ?  Why,  if  he  had  done  nothing  more  than  to 
write  in  his  blessed  word  that  one  sweet  promise 
which  we  find  in  Prov.  viii.  17, — "Those  that  seek 
me  early  shall  find  me," — it  ought  to  encourage 
every  child  who  reads  the  Bible  to  begin  at  once 
to  serve  God. 

But,  ah !  how  much  more  than  this  God  has  done ! 
When  he  made  a  covenant  with  Abraham,  and  pro- 
mised to  be  a  God  to  him,  and  do  every  thing  for 
him  that  was  necessary  for  his  salvation,  he  made 
Abraham  bring  all  his  children  with  him,  into  fel- 


192         JESUS  INTERESTET  IN  CHILDREN 

lowship  with  God.  And  he  commanded  the  Jews, 
as  soon  as  their  children  were  eight  days  old,  to 
bring  them,  and  consecrate  them  to  him,  and  cause 
them,  as  it  were,  with  their  unconscious,  tiny  hands, 
to  take  hold  of  that  covenant,  and  begin  to  trade  in 
wisdom's  merchandise.  And  though  baptism,  the 
sign  or  seal  of  God's  covenant,  as  used  by  us,  is  very 
different  from  that  appointed  for  the  Jews,  yet  the 
church  of  Jesus  Christ  is  still  open  for  children ; 
and,  in  their  very  earliest  age,  they  can  be  made  to 
share  in  the  blessings  of  God's  covenant. 

And,  when  Jesus  was  on  earth,  you  know  what  an 
interest  he  manifested  in  children.  Oh,  how  thank- 
ful every  child,  and  young  person  should  be,  for  what 
Jesus  did  to  show  his  interest  in  them  !  Ah !  my 
dear  children,  the  sweet  and  gracious  words  of  Jesus 
ought  to  engage  a  warm  place  for  him  in  your 
hearts.  Jesus  was  fond  of  children  ;  and  he  showed 
this  when  he  rebuked  his  disciples,  for  trying  to 
send  them  away,  and  said,  "  Suffer  the  little  chil- 
dren to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not ;  for  of 
such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  And  then  "he 
took  them  up  in  his  arms,  and  put  his  hands  upon 
them,  and  blessed  them." 

What  blessed  words  these  are,  to  come  from  the 
lips  of  him  who  created  the  mighty  universe,  and 
who  sits  now,  at  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of 
God  !  What  a  surprising  thing  it  is,  to  know,  that 
Jesus  thinks  about  childreu,  and  loves  them  ! — that 
he  has  made  rooir  for  them  in  his  church  on  earth, 
and  room  for  them  in  his  kingdom  in  heaven ! 

There  is  another  passage  in  the  New  Testament 


HOW  PETER  WAS  TO  SHOW  HIS  LOVE  TO  JESUS.  193 

which  shows  the  great  interest  Jesus  feels  in  chil- 
dren, and  how  anxious  he  is  that  they  should  be 
taught  how  to  trade  in  "the  merchandise  of  wis- 
dom." One  day,  after  his  resurrection,  when  he 
was  talking  with  Peter,  who  had  denied  him,  he 
asked  Peter  if  he  loved  him.  Peter  said  to  him, 
very  earnestly,  "Yea,  Lord,  thou  knowest  that  1 
love  thee."  And  then  Jesus  told  him  what  he 
wanted  him  to  do  in  order  to  show  his  love  to  him. 
And  what  was  it?  It  was  this  : — "Feed  my  lambs" 
Children,  who  are  trying  to  love  and  serve  Jesus,  are 
his  lambs.  The  word  to  feed,  in  the  Bible,  means 
to  teach,  or  instruct.  And,  when  Jesus  spoke  these 
words  to  Peter,  he  meant  them  for  all  his  ministers, 
to  the  end  of  the  world.  It  was  just  as  if  Jesus  had 
said  to  every  minister  of  the  gospel,  "  If  you  want 
to  show  your  love  to  me,  be  kind  to  the  children  in 
your  church.  Take  an  interest  in  them.  Do  all  you 
can  to  lead  them  to  think  of  me,  and  to  love  and 
serve  me."  It  was  thinking  about  these  words  of 
Jesus  which  first  led  me  to  have  church  once  a 
month  for  children,  and  preach  especially  for  them. 
And,  if  ministers  would  only  think  more  about  these 
wTords,  I  feel  sure  they  would  feel  more  interest  in 
their  Sunday-schools,  and  show  their  love  to  Jesus 
by  trying  to  do  more  to  feed  his  lambs. 

And  all  these  things  show  you,  my  dear  children, 
that  God  loves  to  have  young  people  serve  him ;  and 
that,  although  you  cannot  engage  for  yourselves  in 
other  business  until  you  are  of  age,  yet  you  are  all, 
even  the  very  youngest  of  you,  old  enough  to  engage 
in  the  merchandise  of  wisdom.     And  this  is  one 

17 


194  TIIE    SECOND    REASON  : EASIER. 

reason  why  it  is  better  than  any  other  merchandise, 
because  you  can  engage  in  it  so  much, sooner. 

But  another  reason  why  this  merchandise  is  better 
than  any  other  is,  that  it  is  easier  to  trade  in.  I  mean 
by  this  that  it  requires  less  money,  and  less  labor  to 
carry  it  on. 

When  a  person  is  going  to  set  up  in  business,  the 
first  thing  that  he  wants  is,  money.  If  you  want  to 
open  a  store,  for  instance,  you  must  have  money  to 
furnish  it,  with  the  merchandise  you  are  going  to 
trade  in.  If  you  want  to  set  up  as  a  carpenter,  or 
as  a  machinist,  or  any  other  trade,  you  must  have 
money,  to  furnish  yourself  with  a  shop,  to  provide 
yourself  with  tools,  and  with  all  the  things  necessary 
for  you  to  carry  on  that  trade.  You  can  do  nothing 
at  all  until  you  get  these. 

But,  my  dear  children,  no  money  is  needed  to 
becrin  to  trade  in  the  merchandise  of  which  we  are 
now  speaking.  Every  one  of  us  has  all  the  mate- 
rials, ready  on  hand,  that  are  needed  to  begin  this 
business.  These  materials  are  our  sins,  our  evil 
hearts,  our  sinful  dispositions.  We  are  to  "set 
up"  with  these;  to  begin  with  these.  We  are  to 
carry  these  to  Jesus  and  tell  him  of  them,  and  pray 
of  him  the  grace  that  will  enable  us  to  get  rid  of 
them. 

This  is  the  way  in  which  we  must  begin  the  mer- 
chandise of  wisdom.  It  requires  no  money  here. 
When  God  invites  people  to  come  and  buy  the 
blessings  of  his  grace,  he  says  they  can  buy  them 
"without  money  and  without  price." 

But  then,  besides  money,  a  great  deal  of  labor  is 


MUCH  LABOR  NECESSARY  TO  SUCCESS  IN  BUSINESS.     195 

needed  in  order  to  be  successful  in  any  other  pur- 
suit.  No  farmer  will  succeed  in  the  cultivation  of 
his  ground ;  no  carpenter  or  tradesman  will  succeed 
in  the  carrying  on  of  his  design,  unless  he  bestows 
upon  it  a  great  amount  of  labor  and  toil. 

If  you  get  up  early  in  the  morning,  the  first 
sounds  you  hear  are  the  sounds  of  men  hastening  to 
their  work.  You  find*  some  rising  as  early  as  four 
o'clock,  and  not  returning  home  from  their  labors 
until  nine,  or  ten  o'clock,  at  night.  And  we  find 
them  doing  this  all  the  time, — day  after  day,  week 
after  week,  month  after  month,  and  year  after  year; 
and  all  in  order  that  they  may  succeed  in  their 
business.  Now,  it  is  very  hard  to  be  doing  this  all 
the  time.  But  God  does  not  require  such  hard  ser- 
vice, on  the  part  of  those  who  try  to  love  and  fear 
him. 

I  would  not  have  you  suppose,  my  dear  children, 
that  you  can  get  to  heaven  without  great  efforts.  It 
is  not  sitting  down,  and  wishing  yourselves  in  hea- 
ven, that  will  bring  you  there.  We  are  told  to 
"work  out  our  own  salvation."  Jesus  said,  "Strive 
to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate."  The  life  of  the 
Christian  is  compared  to  a  race,  a  struggle,  a  con- 
flict. And  all  this  implies,  that  vigorous  efforts  must 
be  put  forth,  if  we  would  gain  the  prize  of  eternal 
life.  What  I  mean  to  say  is,  that  it  is  easier  to  serve 
Gocl,  than  it  is  to  serve  Satan ;  that  less  real  labor 
is  required  to  secure  the  true  riches — "  the  durable 
riches" — of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  than  is  put  forth 
by  many,  to  obtain  the  riches  of  this  world. 

Jesus   said,  when   upon    earth,  "  Take  my  yoke 


196  THE    TITIRD    REASON  : BETTER    PARTNERS. 

upon  you,  and  learn  of  me;  for  my  yoke  is  easy, 
and  my  burden  is  light."  It  is  because ^Jesus  makes 
bis  people  love  bis  yoke,  that  it  feels  so  easy,  and 
because  of  the  help  he  gives  them,  in  bearing  it,  that 
his  burden  seems  so  light. 

Oh,  dear  children,  how  many  people  there  are 
who  labor  more — spend  more  time  and  pains — to 
secure  to  themselves  a  house  of  brick,  or  wood,  or 
stone,  that  will  soon  crumble  to  decay,  and  perish, 
than  the}'  are  willing  to  put  forth  in  order  to  obtain 
a  "house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  hea- 
vens" !  How  many  spend  more  time  to  secure^ 
"gold  that  perisheth"  than  is  needed  to  obtain  that 
gold  which  endureth  forever  and  forever ! 

Thus,  my  dear  children,  you  see  that  the  mer- 
chandise of  wisdom  is  better  than  the  merchandise 
of  silver,  because  it  is  easier  to  carry  it  on. 

But  there  is  a  third  reason  why  this  merchandise 
is  better  than  any  other;  and  that  is,  you  can  have 
better  partners  here,  than  in  other  pursuits. 

In  carrying  on  important  branches  of  business, 
men  generally  have  partners,  to  engage  with  them. 
Sometimes  they  will  have  one,  sometimes  more. 
Sometimes  one  of  the  persons  will  bring,  to  the  con 
cern,  a  knowledge  of  the  business,  and  another  will 
bring  the  money,  necessary  to  carry  it  on ;  and  then 
these  join  together,  to  conduct  the  business  in  which 
they  are  about  to  engage. 

But  entering  .into  partnerships  is  often  found  to 
be  a  very  dangerous  thing,  because  it  is  very  diffi- 
cult to  get  good  partners. 

Sometimes  men  find  themselves  connected  with 


HARD  TO  GET  GOOD  PARTNERS.  197 

dishonest  partners,  who  cheat  them  of  their  lawful, 
proper  gains,  and  ruin  the  business.  Sometimes  they 
find  themselves  engaged  with  ignorant  partners,  who 
do  not  know  how  to  carry  on  the  business ;  and 
thus,  from  their  want  of  knowledge,  disaster,  loss, 
and  ruin  are  brought  upon  them. 

Sometimes,  too,  they  find  themselves  joined  with 
idle,  careless  partners,  who  are  unwilling  to  work,  or 
apply  themselves,  as  the  interests  of  the  business  re- 
quire ;  and,  in  this  way,  disgrace  and  disappoint- 
ment will  soon  be  experienced.  It  is  often  a  very 
difficult  thing  to  get  good  partners,  when  they  are 
needed. 

If  a  young  lawyer,  just  starting  in  his  profession, 
could  have  secured  Henry  Clay,  or  Daniel  Webster, 
to  be  his  partner,  how  fortunate  he  would  have 
thought  himself!  But,  when  we  begin  the  business 
of  engaging  in  wisdom's  merchandise,  we  have  the 
very  best  partners  that  can  be.  God  the  Father, 
and  God  the  Son,  and  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  become 
the  partners,  and  helpers  of  all  who  really  and  ear- 
nestly engage  in  this  business. 

We  have  the  benefit  of  all  God's  wisdom,  the  help 
of  all  his  power,  the  use  of  all  his  riches,  in  carrying 
on  this  business.  Those  who  become  interested  in 
it  are  called  in  the  Scriptures  the  "heirs  of  God;" 
and  the  "joint  heirs  of  Jesus  Christ."  St.  Paul  says 
of  them,  "  They  are  laborers  together  with  God." 
This  is  the  same  as  saying  that  God,  and  his  people, 
are  partners.  And  in  another  place,  where  he  is 
urging  them  to  "work  out  their  own  salvation,"  the 
reason  which  he  gives  for  it,  is  that  it  is  "  God  who 

17* 


198  THE   PARTNERS    IN    TI1IS    MERCHANDISE. 

workcth  in  them."  And  in  one  place  in  the  Old  Tea 
tament,  where  God  is  encouraging  his  people  to  per- 
severe in  trying  to  get  to  heaven,  he  says,  "Fear 
not,  for  J  will  help  thee."  What  a  blessed  thing  it 
is  to  have  such  a  helper!  The  hardest  things  he- 
come  easy,  when  we  have  a  good  helper.  "When  you 
have  been  carrying  a  heavy  burden,  and  some  strong 
person  has  come  along,  and  taken  hold  of  it  with 
you,  how  light  it  seemed !  When  you  have  had  a 
hard  lesson  to  learn,  and  some  one  who  knew  all 
about  it,  has  just  taken  a  seat,  by  your  side,  and  ex- 
plained it  all  to  you,  how  easy  it  was  to  learn  it! 
Just  so,  God  helps  his  people  to  bear  the  burdens, 
and  learn  the  lessons,  necessary  in  carrying  on  the 
merchandise  of  wisdom. 

And  then  the  angels  in  heaven,  and  all  God's 
people  on  earth,  are  the  partners,  and  helpers  of 
those  who  engage  in  this  business. 

Sometimes,  when  people  engage  in  a  large  busi- 
ness, they  will  have  branches  of  their  business  es- 
tablished in  different  cities,  and  countries.  They 
will  have  a  great  variety  of  agents,  to  attend  to  all 
its  different  concerns.  And  all  these  persons  will  be 
working  together,  for  one  object.  They  will  all,  in 
one  sense,  be  partners  in  the  same  business.  And, 
just  so,  Jesus  our  Saviour  is  engaged  in  doing  a 
great  work.  He  is  carrying  on  the  business  of 
saving  souls  from  death.  His  church  is  the  esta- 
blishment through  which  he  carries  on  this  work. 
The  principal  office  of  his  church,  is  in  heaven, 
where  he  resides.  From  there,  he  sends  out  his 
orders,  concerning  the  souls  that  are  to  be  saved. 


THE  FOURTH  REASON: — MORE  PROFIT.       199 

And  wherever  a  congregation  of  true  Christians 
meet  together  on  earth,  that  is  a  branch-office,  es- 
tablished to  carry  on  the  merchandise  of  wisdom. 
The  angels  of  heaven  are  his  head-officers,  —  his 
chief  agents.  They  are  all  ministering  servants 
sent  forth  by  him  to  help,  in  the  great  work  he 
is  carrying  on.  And  all  his  people  on  earth,  even 
down  to  young  children  who  love  and  serve  him, 
become  lower  officers,  or  laborers  in  this  same  great, 
and  glorious  business.  And  the  strange  thing  about 
it  is,  that  they  all  become  partners  in  the  concern. 
Every  one  has  a  share,  a  personal  interest,  in  it. 
And,  when  the  business  is  finished,  Jesus  will  gather 
all  who  have  been  engaged  in  it  together,  and  divide 
among  them  the  profits  that  each  one  has  gained 
by  trading.  Oh,  the  merchandise  of  wisdom  is 
better  than  any  other,  because  Ave  have  better 
partners. 

Then,  my  dear  children,  there  is  a  fourth  reason 
why  this  is  the  best  merchandise  to  engage  in  :  that 
is,  because  it  yields  more  profd  than  any  other. 

What  do  men  engage  in  business  for  ?  It  is  for 
profit,  for  gain.  When  you  look  out  upon  our 
streets  at  noonday,  all  crowded  with  men,  running 
to  and  fro,  on  various  errands,  to  accomplish  various 
ends,  the  great  aim  and  object  they  have  in  view  is 
profit,  or  gain,  of  some  kind ;  they  all  have  an  eye  to 
this.  The  bricklayer,  and  the  blacksmith,  the  car- 
penter, the  shopkeeper,  the  merchant,  and  the  sales- 
man, are  all  expecting  gain,  and  profit,  as  the  result 
of  all  their  labor.  And  it  is  right  to  look  for  it,  and 
right  that  they  should  have  it. 


200  THE    GAINS    OF    WISDOM. 

Sometimes  we  meet  with  men  who  have  secured 
to  themselves  great  gain  in  this  way-  There  was 
Stephen  Girard,  in  this  city,  some  years  ago,  who 
had  amassed  a  fortune  of  fifteen  millions  of  dollars. 
He  made  his  money  hy  merchandise.  The  richest 
men  in  the  world  now,  helong  to  a  family  in  Europe 
called  "the  Rothschilds."  They  were  once  poor, 
but  they  are  now  richer  than  kings ;  and  they  made 
all  their  money  by  merchandise,  of  one  kind,  or 
another. 

But,  my  dear  children,  should  we  try  to  make 
money  by  religion  ?  Should  we  engage  in  the  mer- 
chandise of  wisdom  for  the  purpose  of  getting  gain 
of  this  kind  from  it  ?     No  ;  not  all. 

And  yet,  see  what  our  text  says: — "The  merchan- 
dise of  it  is  better  than  the  merchandise  of  silver." 
Does  the  Bible  teach  us  that  it  is  profitable  to  serve 
God?  Yes;  it  certainly  does.  It  says  that  in  keep- 
ing the  commandments  of  the  Lord  there  is  " great 
reward"  It  tells  us  that  "godliness  is  profitable 
unto  all  things;  having  promise  of  the  life  that 
now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come."  It  yields 
a  greater  profit,  and  a  better  gain,  than  gold  or 
silver. 

And  do  you  ask  me  what  this  gain  is  ?  I  answer, 
it  will  secure  the  pardon  of  sin ;  it  will  secure  to 
you  peace,  and  happiness  here;  and  a  treasure  in  the 
heavens  that  will  last  forever,  hereafter. 

We  read  in  the  Bible  of  the  rich  man  and  Laza- 
rus. We  are  not  told  how  this  man  made  his  money. 
He  had  probably  been  a  merchant,  and  made  it  in 
ihe  buying  and  selling  of  merchandise.     He  had 


RICHES   IN   A   DREAM.  201 

retired  from  business,  and  was  living  at  his  ease, 
upon  the  great  gains  he  had  secured  for  himself. 
But,  while  attending  to  these  things,  he  had  forgot- 
ten the  concerns  of  his  soul;  he  had  laid  up  no 
riches  for  the  world  to  come. 

There  was  a  poor  beggar  who  was  laid  at  his  gate, 
and  asked  only  for  the  crumbs  which  fell  from  the 
rich  man's  table. 

But,  oh,  what  a  wonderful  change  took  place  in 
the  condition  of  these  two  men  when  they  died ! 
The  rich  man,  on  earth,  became  the  poor  man,  after 
death;  and  the  poor  beggar,  on  earth,  became  the 
rich  man  in  heaven.  The  reason  was,  my  dear  chil- 
dren, that,  while  he  had  engaged  in  no  earthly  busi- 
ness, he  had  not  forgotten  the  merchandise  of  wis- 
dom ;  and  he  found,  to  his  everlasting  happiness,  that 
"  the  merchandise  of  it  is  better  than  the  merchan- 
dise of  silver." 

Did  you  ever  have  a  dream,  at  night,  when  you 
thought  yourself  the  owner  of  a  large  house,  and 
possessed  of  great  riches  ?  It  seemed,  for  the  time, 
as  if  it  were  all  real.  But,  in  a  little  while,  you 
awoke,  and  lo,  it  was  gone  !  It  was  only  a  dream  ! 
Many  a  beggar  has  had  such  a  dream.  He  thought, 
and  felt,  for  a  moment,  as  if  he  was  rich.  He  awToke, 
and  found  himself  in  rags  and  poverty.  My  dear 
children,  just  such  will  the  riches,  and  gains,  of  this 
world  seem,  to  those  who  die,  and  wake  up  in  eter- 
nity, without  having  the  true  riches.  Life  will  be 
like  a  dream.  They  dreamed  that  they  were  rich, 
out  wake  up  to  find  that  they  are  poor  forever.  But 
the  gains  of  wisdom's  merchandise  are  real,  lasting 


202  FIFTH    REASON  : — MORE    ROOM    FOR    IT. 

riches.  The  merchandise  of  wisdom  is  better  than 
any  other,  because  there  is  more  profit  in  it. 

There  is  one  other  reason  why  this  is  the  best  of 
all  merchandise;  and  that  is,  that  there  is  more  room 
for  engaging  in  it  than  in  any  other. 

Can  you  think  of  any  one  kind  of  business,  in 
which  all  that  are  here  present  could  engage  at  once  ? 
Could  you  all  become  ministers,  or  all  lawyers,  or 
all  physicians,  or  all  dry-goods  merchants,  or  all 
storekeepers,  or  all  carpenters?  Certainly  not. 
Some  of  you  would  not  be  fit  for  one  of  these  pro- 
fessions, or  trades,  or  employments,  and  some  would 
not  be  fit  for  others. 

And,  even  if  you  were  all  fit,  for  any  one  of  them, 
there  would  not  be  room  for  you  all  to  enter  upon 
it  at  once.  You  would  not  be  wanted.  You  could 
not  find  employment.  It  would  be  impossible  for 
you  to  succeed. 

But  how  different  it  is  with  the  business  of  serv- 
ing God !  Here,  there  is  room  enough  for  you  all. 
It  is  a  merchandise  which  all  can  understand;  a  pur- 
suit for  which  all  are  fit.  Just  look,  for  a  moment, 
at  some  of  the  things  which  those  must  have,  who 
engage  in  this  business,  and  then  you  will  see  who 
are  fit  for  it.  It  is  those  who  have  sinful  natures 
who  can  engage  in  it.  And  is  there  one  of  us  to 
whom  this  does  not  apply?  The  Bible  tells  us  that 
we  "  all  have  sinned,  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of 
God."  It  is  those  who  are  burdened  with  sorrow, 
and  sin,  who  are  fit  for  it ;  for  Jesus  says,  "  Come 
unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor,  and  are  heavy  laden,  and 
I  will  give  you  rest."     It  is  those  who  are  in  danger 


ALL    FITTED    FOR    THIS    BUSINESS.  20 

of  losing  their  souls,  who  are  fit  for  engaging  in  this 
business.  And  we  are  all  in  this  danger,  till  we  learn 
to  love  and  serve  God.  Jesus  said,  "He  that  be- 
lieveth  not  is  condemned  already."  Now,  you  know, 
that  a  condemned  man  is  one  who  has  been  found 
guilty  of  some  crime,  and  who  has  been  sentenced 
to  be  executed,  and  is  only  waiting  for  the  appointed 
time  to  come,  when  he  will  be  led  out,  and  put  to 
death.  And  this  is  our  condition,  until  we  truly 
repent,  and  become  Christians,  by  exercising  faith  in 
Jesus.  We  have  been  found  guilty  of  breaking 
God's  holy  law.  "We  are  condemned,  already,  to 
everlasting  punishment.  And  if  death,  the  great 
executioner,  should  come  to  us,  while  we  are  in  this 
state,  we  are  lost  forever.  This  shows  how  fit  we 
all  are  to  eno;a2ce  in  the  business  of  which  we  are 
speaking.  But  the  help  of  God's  Holy  Spirit  is 
necessary,  to  fit  us  for  entering  upon  this  business  : 
and  can  we  all  get  this  help?  Read  Luke  xi.  11-13 
for  an  answer.  Here  Jesus  tell  us  that  God  is  more 
ready  to  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  it, 
than  parents  are  to  give  bread  to  their  children. 

The  merchandise  of  wisdom  is  a  business,  then, 
in  which  we  are  all  fitted  to  engage.  And  we  are 
not  only  all  fitted,  but  all  invited,  to  engage  in  it. 
"  Wisdom  crieth  at  the  gates,  at  the  entry  of  the 
city,  at  the  coming  in  at  the  doors :  Unto  you,  O 
men,  I  call ;  and  my  voice  is  to  the  sons  of  men. 
Now,  therefore,  hearken  unto  me,  0  ye  children;  for 
blessed  are  they  that  keep  my  ways."  Yes,  we  all 
have  sins  enough  to  fit  us  to  begin  the  merchandise 
of  wisdom ;  and  God  has  grace  enough  to  enable  us 


204  ROOM   FOR   ALL. 

all  to  go  on  with  it,  when  it  is  hegun.  There  is  room 
for  us  all  here.  There  is  room,  in  the  church,  for  us 
to  enter.  There  is  room,  in  the  world,  for  us  to  trade 
in  wisdom's  treasures;  and  there  is  room  in  heaven, 
my  dear  children,  for  us  all  to  enjoy  the  everlasting 
gains  of  this  heavenly  merchandise. 

We  have  considered,  five  good  reasons,  why  the 
merchandise  of  wisdom  is  better  than  any  other.  It 
is  a  business  we  can  begin  sooner;  it  is  easier  to  carry 
it  on;  we  can  have  better  partners  than  in  other  pur- 
suits ;  there  is  more  profit  in  it,  and  more  room  for 
it.  These  are  all  sound,  substantial,  and  satisfactory 
reasons.  Then,  let  me  entreat  you  all  to  begin  this 
business,  without  delay.  Resolve,  by  God's  help, 
that  you  will  set  up  at  once,  to  be  wisdom's  mer- 
chants. It  will  not  interfere  with  any  other  lawful, 
and  honest  business,  or  pursuit,  that  you  may  have 
to  engage  in.  On  the  contrary,  it  will  help  you,  in 
whatever  else  you  do.  Jesus  said,  "Seek  ye  first 
the  kingdom  of  God,  and  his  righteousness,  and  all 
other  things  shall  be  added  unto  you."  And  may 
God  incline  you  all,  my  dear  children,  to  begin  now, 
to  trade  in  this  merchandise,  and  make  you  skilful 
and  successful  traders,  for  Jesus'  sake  !  Amen. 


THE  LESSORS  JESUS   TEACHES. 
Matt.  xi.  29  :  Learn  of  me. 

Tins  is  a  short  text.  There  are  only  three  words 
in  it.  But  it  is  a  very  important  text.  Do  you 
know,  my  dear  children,  who  spoke  these  words? 
Jesus  spoke  them.  Now,  what  do  we  call  the  per- 
son from  whom  we  learn  any  thing?  We  call  him 
our  teacher.  Then,  in  what  character  does  Jesus 
here  come  before  us  ?  As  a  Teacher.  It  is  a  great 
thing  to  have  a  good  teacher.  If  the  Governor 
of  the  State,  or  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
should  have  a  class  in  Sunday-school,  the  boys  who 
were  in  his  class  would  feel  themselves  honored  to 
have  such  a  teacher.  It  is  said  that  Victoria,  the 
Queen  of  England,  when  at  home,  in  her  beautiful 
palace  at  Windsor,  has  a  Sunday-school,  in  which 
she  attends,  and  teaches  a  class  of  children.  If  this 
is  so,  it  reflects  great  honor  upon  her.  And,  I  sup- 
pose, the  children  of  her  class  feel  it  to  be  a  great 
privilege  to  have  the  queen  of  that  great  and  mighty 
nation  for  their  teacher.  But,  my  dear  children, 
what  is  any  earthly  governor,  or  president,  or  king, 
or  queen,  compared  with  Jesus  ?  Jesus  is  the  Maker 
and  Ruler  of  the  world.  He  is  the  Maker  and  Ruler 
of  all  worlds.  He  is  the  greatest  and  best  Teacher 
that  ever  was.     His  position  makes  him  great.     He 

18  205 


208  THE    FIRST    LESSON TO    KNOW    GOD. 

sits  at  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  God.  Ilia 
fencer  makes  him  great.  "All  power  in  heaven  and 
on  earth  is  given  unto  him."  He  can  do  whatever 
he  pleases.  His  wisdom  makes  him  great.  He  knows 
all  about  everybody  who  is  living  now,  and  every- 
body who  ever  has  lived.  He  knows  all  about  every 
thing  that  ever  has  taken  place,  or  ever  will  take 
place.  Oh,  he  is  a  great  Teacher  !  What  a  happy 
and  glorious  thins;  it  must  be  to  be  his  scholars ! 
Yet  this  is  just  what  he  wishes  us  to  be.  In  our 
text  we  have  his  invitation  to  us  to  enter  his  school, 
and  join  his  class,  and  have  him  for  our  teacher: — 
"Learn  of  me."  This  is  what  Jesus  says  to  us  all. 
Now,  when  we  go  to  school  to  any  person,  we  wish 
to  know  what  it  is  that  he  will  teach  us,  or  what 
lessons  we  shall  have  to  learn.  And  if  we  have 
Jesus  for  our  teacher,  we  may  very  well  ask  what  it 
is  that  he  will  teach  us.  He  will  teach  us  four 
things,  which  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  for  us 
to  learn;  but  which  we  never  shall  learn  at  all  un- 
less he  become  our  teacher.  The  difference  be- 
tween earthly  teachers  is,  not  that  some  teach  things 
which  others  do  not,  but  it  is  that  some  teach  them 
better  than  others.  But  the  difference  between 
Jesus  and  other  teachers  is,  not  only  that  he  teaches 
better  than  others,  but  that  he  teaches  things  which 
nobody  else  can  teach  at  all :  and  which  we  must 
forever  remain  ignorant  of,  unless  we  learn  them 
from  him. 

Now,  let  us  see  what  these  things  are. 

And,  in  the  first  place,  Jesus  will  teach  us  to  know 
God. 


THE   LESSON-BOOK   "WHICH   JESUS    GIVES.  207 

The  Bible  is  the  lesson-book  which  Jesus  has  pre- 
pared for  his  scholars.  It  is  his  first  lesson-book; 
his  book  for  beginners.  It  contains  the  simplest  les- 
sons we  can  learn,  on  this  subject, — the  very  A,  B,  C 
of  the  knowledge  of  God.  And  it  contains  not 
only  the  alphabet  of  this  knowledge,  but  many 
higher  lessons,  also,  on  the  same  subject.  All  that 
we  can  learn  about  God,  m  this  world,  is  contained 
in  the  Bible.  And  if  it  were  not  for  the  Bible,  and 
what  it  has  taught  us,  we  should  know  nothing  at 
all  about  God,  for  certain.  Almost  every  thing  else, 
men  can  study,  and  find  out  by  themselves.  But 
however  long,  or  hard,  they  might  study  by  them- 
selves, they  would  never  find  out  any  thing  about 
God.  This  is  the  meaning  of  that  question  which  is 
asked  in  the  Bible : — "  Canst  thou  by  searching  find 
out  God?  Canst  thou  find  out  the  Almighty  unto 
perfection  ?  It  is  high  as  heaven  :  what  canst  thou 
do  ?  It  is  deeper  than  hell :  what  canst  thou 
know?" 

There  was  a  heathen  king,  once,  who  had  no 
Bible,  but  who  wanted  to  know  something  about 
God.  It  happened  so,  that  a  very  celebrated  philo- 
sopher, and  the  wisest  man  then  living,  was  in  this 
king's  dominions.  So  the  king  sent  for  the  philoso- 
pher, and  told  him  he  wanted  an  answer  to  this 
question: — What  is  God?  The  philosopher  said  that 
this  was  a  very  difficult  and  important  question,  and 
he  wanted  three  days'  time,  to  consider  about  it, 
before  he  attempted  to  give  an  answer  to  it.  When 
the  three  days  were  up,  he  came  to  the  king,  and 
asked  for  five  days  more.     "When  the  five  were  up, 


208  THE   PICTURES   IN   A   DARK  ROOM. 

he  came  again  and  asked  for  ten ;  and  when  the  ten 
were  passed,  he  came  again,  and  toldvthe  king  that 
he  could  not  answer  his  question  ;  for  the  longer  he 
thought  upon  the  subject,  the  less  able  he  was  to  say 
any  thing  about  it.  And,  if  we  were  left  to  ourselves, 
we  should  know  no  more  about  God  than  this  phi- 
losopher did.  And,  if  Jesus  had  not  come  to  teach 
us,  we  never  should  have  known  any  more.  Sup- 
pose that  you  were  in  a  dark  room  which  had  a 
great  many  pictures  hung  round  on  the  wall,  and 
you  were  asked  to  find  out  what  those  pictures  were 
about:  could  you  do  it?  No.  You  might  strain 
your  eyes,  ever  so  much,  in  trying  to  see  through 
the  gloom.  You  might  grope  your  way  in  the  dark, 
and  go  feeling  round  among  the  pictures.  But  your 
fingers  would  be  unable  to  detect  the  forms,  and 
figures,  painted  there.  You  never  could  tell  what 
those  pictures  were,  so  long  as  you  were  left  in  the 
dark.  And  what  is  it  you  would  want  to  enable 
you  to  know  the  character  of  those  pictures  ?  Light ; 
yes,  light  is  what  you  would  need.  Only  let  a  window 
be  opened  in  that  dark  room,  and  the  blessed  beams 
of  the  sun  come  pouring  in  around  you,  and  then  you 
could  see  the  pictures,  and  tell,  in  a  moment,  what 
they  were.  And  this  is  just  our  position,  without 
the  teachings  of  the  Bible,  in  reference  to  God. 
The  world  we  live  in  is  like  a  dark  room.  The  glo- 
rious works  of  God,  that  surround  us,  are  like  pic- 
tures of  him  hung  round  the  walls  of  this  room. 
But  they  are  hanging  in  the  dark ;  and  we  strive  in 
vain  to  tell  what  it  is  which  these  pictures  represent 
to  us  of  God.     But  Jesus  has  opened  a  window,  and 


JESUS  LETS  IN  LKJHT.  209 

let  in  the  light.  He  is  himself  that  light.  St.  John 
said  of  him,  "  He  is  the  true  Light,  which  lighteth 
every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world."  Jesus  said 
of  himself,  "  I  am  the  light  of  the  world."  He  came 
into  the  world,  on  purpose,  to  teach  us  about  God. 
And  this  is  what  Jesus  meant  when  he  said,  "No 
man  knoweth  the  Father  save  the  Son,  and  he  to 
whom  the  Son  doth  reveal  him."  "No  man  hath 
seen  God  at  any  time;  the  only  begotten  Son,  who 
is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  he  hath  revealed 
him."  We  know  nothing  at  all  of  God  but  what 
Jesus  has  taught  us.  The  Bible  is  full  of  his  teach- 
ings.  It  is  the  lesson-book  he  puts  into  our  hands. 
It  is  the  only  book  he  uses.  Earthly  teachers  have 
a  great  many  lesson-books,  for  their  scholars  to  learn 
from,  and  they  change  them  very  often.  Jesus  has 
but  one  book,  and  he  never  changes  it.  It  is  the 
same  book  that  apostles,  and  prophets,  and  holy 
men  of  old  read,  and  meditated  upon,  and  prayed 
over.  It  is  the  same,  only  made  larger,  that  David 
loved  so  much ;  in  which  he  used  to  read  by  day  and 
meditate  by  night ;  which  he  made  "  the  man  of  his 
counsel  and  his  guide;"  and  which  he  said  was 
"sweeter  to  his  taste  than  honey,  and  the  honey- 
comb." The  child  of  seven  or  eight  years  of  age, 
who  has  learned  to  read  the  Bible,  knows  more 
about  God,  and  can  tell  about  his  character  better, 
than  all  the  philosophers,  and  wise  men,  who  ever 
lived  without  the  Bible.  Here,  Jesus  teaches  us  that 
"God  is  a  Spirit;"  that  "God  is  love."  Here,  we 
learn  that  "the  Lord  our  God  is  holy."  Here,  his 
character  is  described  as  "the  Lord  God,  merciful 

18* 


210  THE    BOOK    THAT    NEVER    GROWS    OLD. 

and  gracious  ;  keeping  mercy  for  thousands ;  forgiv- 
ing iniquity,  and  transgression,  and  sin;  and  who 
•will  by  no  means  clear  the  guilty."  Jesus  can  give 
as  fresh  lessons,  from  this  wonderful  book,  every 
day.  No  matter  how  long  we  study  it,  we  never 
can  get  to  the  end  of  its  teachings.  It  is  very  differ- 
ent, in  this  respect,  from  all  other  books.  If  we 
study  any  other  book,  and  go  through  it,  two  or 
three  times,  we  can  master  it,  and  find  out  all  that 
is  in  it.  Then  we  get  tired  of  it,  and  find  that  it 
does  us  no  good  to  read  it  any  more.  We  want 
another  book.  But  it  is  not  so  with  the  Bible.  The 
oldest  Christian,  who  has  been  studying  the  Bible 
for  forty,  or  fifty,  or  sixty  years,  and  who  has  read 
it  all  over  scores  of  times,  has  not  learned  half  that 
is  in  it.  Jesus  teaches  him  fresh  lessons  from  it 
continually.  lie  is  all  the  time  seeing  something 
new,  and  interesting  in  it;  or  else  the  old  things  in  it 
come  up  to  his  mind,  with  fresh  interest,  and  plea- 
sure, just  as  if  they  were  quite  new.  He  never  gets 
tired  of  it.  He  never  wants  a  new  Bible.  He  feels 
that  it  is  the  book  which  Jesus  has  given  him,  to 
teach  him  about  God,  and  he  finds  so  much  to  learn 
in  it,  that  if  he  should  live  to  be  as  old  as  Methu- 
selah, yet,  while  he  was  growing  old  himself,  and 
every  thing  else  was  growing  old  around,  the  Bible 
would  never  grow  old;  and  he  would  never  get  tired 
of  studying  it.  This  is  the  first  lesson  that  Jesus 
teaches.     He  teaches  us  to  know  God. 

But  there  is  a  second,  lesson  to  speak  of:  Jesus  teaches 
us  to  love  God. 

There    are   different  ways   of  teaching  a  thing. 


DIFFERENT    WAYS    OF    TEACHING.  211 

Deaf  people,  who  cannot  hear,  are  taught  "by  signs. 
Blind  people,  who  cannot  see,  are  taught  by  feeling. 
But  even  people  who  are  neither  blind,  nor  deaf, 
and  who  can  both  see,  and  hear,  are  taught  in  dif- 
ferent ways.  Sometimes  people  are  taught  things 
by  studying  text-books,  which  tell  all  about  what 
they  want  to  learn.  Sometimes  they  are  taught  by 
lectures,  and  sometimes  by  conversation.  But  there 
is  only  one  way  in  which  Jesus  teaches  us  to  love 
God.  And  what  is  this  ?  Is  it  by  showing  us  the 
power  of  God  ?     Does  he  teach  us 

"To  sing  the  almighty  power  of  God, 
Which  made  the  mountains  rise, 
Which  spread  the  flowing  seas  abroad, 
And  built  the  lofty  skies," 

in  order  that  we  may  be  led  to  love  him  ?  No,  my 
dear  children  ;  the  mere  possession  of  power  will 
never  excite  love. 

Is  it  by  showing  us  the  wisdom  of  God?  Does 
he  point  us  to  all  the  marvellous  things  he  has 
made ; — the  birds  with  their  sweet  songs  and  beau- 
tifully-colored feathers;  —  the  insects  with  their 
curious  contrivances  ; — the  trees  with  their  graceful 
forms ; — and  the  fragrant  flowers  with  their  hues 
of  varying  loveliness  ?  iSTo ;  this  is  not  the  way. 
If  we  find  out  that  a  person  is  very  wise,  we  may 
admire  him  for  his  wisdom,  but  we  never  should 
love  him  for  it. 

"Well,  is  it  by  showing  us  the  riches  of  God  ?  Does 
he  point  to  all  the  mines  of  gold  and  silver,  all  the 
treasures  of  gems  and  jewels,  that  are  in  the  world, 
and  toll  us  that  they  belong  to  God  ?    Does  he  show 


212  ffOW   JESUS   TEACHES   US   TO   LOVE   GOD. 

us  that  "all  the  beasts  of  the  forest  are  his,  and  so 
are  the  cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills;"  and  ask  us  to 
love  God  because  he  is  so  rich  ?  No ;  this  is  not  the 
way.  Nobody  was  ever  loved  because  he  was  rich. 
A  great  many  people  love  money  very  much  indeed. 
And  people  will  often  serve  one  another;  they  will 
live  with  one  another,  and  even  sometimes  marry 
one  another,  because  they  have  money;  but  nobody 
ever  loved  another  because  he  had  money. 

It  is  not  in  any  of  these  ways  that  Jesus  teaches 
us  to  love  God.  Then  how  is  it  ?  In  what  way  does 
he  do  it  ?  Now,  mark  what  I  say.  Jesus  teaches  us 
to  love  God,  by  shotting  us  that  God  loves  us.  The  surest 
way  in  the  world,  to  get  other  persons  to  love  us,  is 
to  show  that  we  love  them.  This  is  the  meaning  of 
that  old  saying,  "Love,  if  you  would  be  loved 
again."  Dr.  Doddridge,  a  celebrated  minister  in 
England,  had  a  sweet,  lovely  daughter,  who  w^as  a 
great  favorite  with  all  the  persons  who  visited  at  her 
father's  house.  Oue  day,  a  gentleman,  who  was 
there,  said  to  her,  "Mary,  my  dear  child,  tell  me 
what  it  is  that  makes  everybody  love  you  so." 
"Indeed,  sir,"  said  Mary,  "I  don't  know,  unless  it 
is  because  I  love  everybody." 

But  that  was  just  the  secret  of  it. 

A  little  girl  once  made  an  experiment  of  the 
power  of  kindness.  There  was  a  girl  in  the  school 
to  which  she  went,  who  was  considered  the  very 
worst  of  all  the  scholars.  Her  temper  was  ex- 
tremely violent,  and  disagreeable.  She  never  tried 
to  control,  or  subdue  it.  The  consequence  was,  that 
she  was  disliked,  and  shunned,  by  all  the  school. 


THE   POWER   OF   KINDNESS.  21S 

Nobody  kept  company  with  her,  or  spoke  to  her, 
tmless  when  it  was  absolutely  necessary.  This  mor- 
tified, and  vexed  her,  and  she  was  as  unhappy,  and 
miserable  as  she  well  could  be.  One  of  the  scholars, 
who  was  a  real  good  girl,  felt  great  pity  for  her  poor, 
unfortunate  school-mate,  and  resolved  to  try  the 
power  of  kindness,  in  effecting  a  reformation.  She 
resolved  to  take  advantage  of  every  opportunity  of 
speaking  kindly  to  her.  She  often  carried  her  some 
flowers,  or  fruit,  or  a  piece  of  cake.  She  tried  in 
various  ways  to  do  her  some  favor.  At  first,  these 
efforts  were  rudely  rejected.  Then,  they  were  re- 
ceived in  sullen  silence.  At  length  they  were  cheer- 
fully accepted,  and  thankfully  acknowledged.  A 
gradual  softening,  and  improvement  took  place  in 
the  conduct,  and  character  of  this  bad  girl ;  and 
eventually,  she  became  one  of  the  best  girls  in  the 
school. 

Almost  everybody  has  heard  of  the  noble  and  ex- 
cellent Mrs.  Fry,  of  England,  and  of  her  visits  to  the 
prisoners  at  Newgate.  This  was  a  prison  in  which 
persons  condemned  to  death,  and  prisoners  of  the 
very  worst,  and  vilest  character,  were  confined. 

Nobody  took  any  interest  in  these  poor  creatures  ; 
and  they  were  treated  with  great  harshness  and 
cruelty.  The  consequence  of  this  was,  that  they 
became  so  violent,  and  desperate,  that  everybody  was 
afraid  of  them,  and  there  was  the  greatest  difficulty 
in  managing  them.  The  keepers  of  the  prison  were 
afraid  to  go  in,  even  with  the  food  of  the  prisoners, 
unless  they  had  a  guard  of  soldiers  along  with  them, 
with  loaded  muskets.     But  Mrs.  Fry  resolved  to  go 


214  MRS.  FRY    AMONG    TIIE   PRISONERS. 

in  among  these  desperate  creatures,  and  try  to  do 
them  good.  Her  friends  were  alarmed  when  they 
heard  of  her  intention.  They  told  her  she  would 
certainly  be  insulted,  or  injured,  if  not  killed;  and 
tried  to  persuade  her  not  to  go.  But  she  was  re- 
solved to  go,  and  said  she  had  no  fear.  Then  they 
wanted  her,  at  least,  to  have  a  guard  of  soldiers  with 
her ;  but  she  refused.  With  nothing  in  her  hand  but 
the  New  Testament,  she  ventured  in  among  that 
hardened,  lawless  crowd.  They  were  men  and  wo- 
men more  fierce  than  the  hungry  lions  in  the  den 
into  which  Daniel  was  thrown. 

It  did  seem  like  a  very  dangerous  experiment. 
But  she  spoke  to  them  in  tones  of  tenderness,  and 
affection.  It  was  what  they  had  not  been  accus- 
tomed to  hear.  It  acted  like  a  charm  upon  their 
hardened  hearts.  She  opened  her  book,  and  read  to 
them.  She  closed  the  book,  and  spoke  to  them 
freely  of  the  love  of  Jesus.  They  listened  with 
profound  attention.  Sobs,  and  groans  were  the 
only  sounds  heard,  while  she  was  speaking,  and  tears 
were  seen  coursing  down  the  cheeks  of  those  who 
had  long  been  unused  to  weep.  After  that,  she 
often  repeated  her  visits,  which  resulted  in  a  great 
reformation  among  those  prisoners,  many  of  whom 
were  reclaimed  from  then*  evil  ways,  and  made  use- 
ful members  of  society.  And  what  was  the  charm 
about  this  noble  woman,  and  the  secret  of  the  great 
power  she  exercised  over  those  abandoned  prison- 
ers ?  The  charm  about  her  was  the  spirit  of  love. 
The  power  she  exercised  was  the  power  of  love. 
She  convinced  those  poor  creatures  that  she  really 


HOW   JESUS   TEACnES   US   TO   LOVE   GOD.  215 

loved  them,  and  wanted  to  do  them  good.  This 
made  them  love  her,  and  then  she  could  do  any 
thing  that  she  wanted  with  them. 

'Now,  these  instances  show  us,  my  dear  children, 
how  it  is  that  people,  even  very  wicked  people,  may 
be  made  to  love  others,  although  they  are  very  dif- 
ferent from  themselves.  And  it  is  in  this  way  that 
Jesus  teaches  us  to  love  God.  He  proves  that  God 
loves  us.  How  does  he  prove  it  ?  Turn  to  the  six- 
teenth verse  of  the  third  chapter  of  St.  John's  Gos- 
pel, and  there  you  will  find  the  proof.  It  is  in  these 
wonderful  words : — "  God  so  loved  the  world  that 
he  gave  his  only-begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  on  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlast- 
ing life."  Jesus  came  down  from  heaven  to  prove 
that  God  loves  us.  And  when  he  took  our  nature 
upon  him,  and  was  born  a  feeble  infant,  and  was  laid 
in  the  manger;  when  he  lived  a  life  of  poverty  and 
suffering;  when  he  passed  through  the  dreadful 
agony  endured  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane;  when 
he  was  taken  by  wicked  men  and  mocked,  and 
scourged,  and  crowned  with  thorns,  and  nailed  to 
the  shameful  tree ;  when  he  suffered,  and  groaned, 
and  died,  and  was  laid  in  the  grave, — he  was  all  the 
time  proving  to  us  howT  much  God  loves  us.  And 
this  is  the  reason  why  preaching  the  gospel  to 
people,  and  telling  them  about  Jesus,  leads  them 
to  love  God,  when  nothing  else  will  do  it.  Jesus 
teaches  as  to  love  God.     This  is  his  second  lesson. 

But  there  is  a  third  lesson  we  are  to  speak  of;  and  that 
is,  that  Jesus  teaches  us  to  Serve  God. 

Now,  people  make  a  great  many  mistakes  aboit 


216  THE   THIRD   LESSON — HOW   TO    SERVE    GOD. 

the  way  in  which  they  can  serve  God.  Jesus  said 
that  the  time  would  come  when  men  wTould  per- 
secute and  kill  his  people,  and  think  they  were 
doing  God  service.  And  this  has  often  been  done. 
The  Church  of  Rome  used  to  have  a  place  called 
"The  Inquisition,"  which  was  a  horrible  kind  of 
prison,  to  which  the  priests  would  send  people  who 
would  not  believe  just  whatever  they  chose  to 
teach.  In  that  prison  the}-  would  put  people  in 
chains,  and  in  dungeons ;  they  would  beat  them, 
and  burn  them,  and  torture  them  in  a  great  va- 
riety of  cruel  ways,  and  think  that  this  was  serving 
God. 

Some  people  think  that  serving  God  means  to  be 
honest,  and  industrious,  and  mind  your  own  busi- 
ness. Some  think  it  means  to  be  kind  to  the  poor. 
And  some  think  that  if  they  only  read  the  Bible 
every  day,  and  go  to  church  every  Sunday,  they  are 
certainly  serving  God.  But  people  may  do  all  these 
things,  and  yet  never  serve  God  at  all. 

Now,  in  order  to  serve  God  aright,  there  are  two 
things  especially  that  we  need;  and  these  are,  a 
knowledge  of  what  it  is  he  wishes  us  to  do  ; — and  the 
power  to  enable  us  to  do  it.  The  Collect  for  the  first 
Sunday  after  Epiphany,  contains  a  beautiful  prayer, 
that  God  would  "grant  that  we  may  both  perceive 
and  know  what  things  we  ought  to  do,  and  also  give 
us  grace  and  power  faithfully  to  fulfil  the  same." 
And  Jesus  gives  us  both  these  things  when  he 
teaches  us  to  serve  God.  And  if  you  ask  what  is 
the  knowledge  Jesus  gives  us  about  serving  God, 
1  answer,  he  shows  us  in  the  gospel,  that  we  must 


THE  FOURTH  LESSON — TO  ENJOY  GOD.       217 

repent  of  our  sins,  and  believe  in  him  as  our  Sa- 
viour; that  is,  we  must  become  true  Christians. 
Nobody  can  begin  to  serve  God  aright  until  their 
hearts  are  changed.  Whatever  we  may  do,  until 
this  takes  place,  we  cannot  please  God.  But  can 
we  change  our  own  hearts  ?  No  ;  we  can  no  more 
do  this  than  we  can  fly.  Then,  where  is  the  power 
to  come  from  that  will  change  our  evil  hearts,  and 
make  us  Christians  ?  It  can  only  come  from  Jesus. 
His  grace  can  do  it.  Without  him  we  can  do  nothing. 
But  with  his  help  we  can  do  all  things.  And  thus 
it  is,  my  dear  children,  that  the  knoioledge  and  'power 
to  serve  God  come  from  Jesus.  If  we  want  to  be 
the  servants  of  God,  then  we  must  learn  of  Jesus. 
Earthly  teachers  can  often  give  their  scholars  know- 
ledge, without  being  able  to  give  them  power.  They 
can  show  them  what  to  do,  but  they  cannot  help 
them  to  do  it.  But  Jesus  can  do  both  these  things. 
He  can  give  to  all  who  learn  of  him  both  the  know- 
ledge, and  the  power  that  they  need.  What  a  blessed 
thing  it  is  to  have  such  a  teacher !  How  anxious 
we  should  all  be  to  learn  of  Jesus !  He  can  teach  us 
to  serve  God. 

And  then  there  is  one  lesson  more  which  Jesus  can  teach 
us.     He  can  teach  us  to  enjoy  God. 

My  dear  children,  do  you  know  where  all  the 
water  which  supplies  the  springs,  and  fountains,  and 
rills,  and  rivers  of  the  world,  comes  from?  It  comes 
from  the  ocean.  The  sun  makes  it  rise  from  the 
surface  of  the  ocean  in  a  sort  of  steam,  or  vapor. 
The  vapor  floats  away  in  the  sky  and  forms  clouds, 
and,  when  the   clouds  are  full,  they  empty  them- 

19 


218  GOD   THE    OCEAN   OF   HAPPINESS. 

selves  in  rain,  and  the  rain  supplies  all  the  springs 
and  fountains. 

The  ocean,  then,  is  the  grand  reservoir  from 
which  all  the  water  in  the  world  is  obtained.  There 
is  more  water  in  the  ocean  than  in  all  the  rest  of 
the  world  put  together;  and  there  is  no  water  in 
the  world  but  what  comes  from  the  ocean.  And 
what  the  ocean  is  to  the  world,  in  regard  to  the  sup- 
ply of  water,  God  is  to  the  world,  in  regard  to  its 
supply  of  happiness.  God  is  the  great  ocean  of 
happiness,  from  which  all  the  fountains,  or  sources 
of  happiness,  are  supplied.  All  the  real  happiness 
which  any  of  God's  creatures  experience  comes  from 
him.  And  there  is  more  happiness  in  God  than  in 
all  the  rest  of  the  world,  or  of  the  universe,  put 
together. 

Now,  seeing  this  is  true,  you  may  well  say,  "What 
a  wonder  it  is  that  all  people  do  not  come  to  God,  in 
order  to  enjoy  him  and  be  happy!"  It  is  a  wonder. 
But  the  reason  of  it  is,  that  people  do  not  know,  or 
believe,  that  there  is  so  much  happiness  in  God. 
They  need  some  one  to  show  them  this.  And  no 
one  can  teach  us  this  but  Jesus.  We  have  a  strik- 
ing illustration  of  what  I  am  now  speaking  of,  in 
the  history  of  Hagar  in  the  wilderness.  You  can 
read  the  account  of  it  in  the  twenty-first  chapter  of 
Genesis.  Hagar  was  wandering  in  the  wilderness, 
with  her  son  Ishmael.  The  water  she  had  carried 
with  her  was  all  gone.  They  were  parched  with 
thirst,  and  her  child  was  likely  to  die.  She  was  in 
great  distress.  She  laid  her  child  down  under  a 
bush,  and  turned  away  from  him  and  wept.     While 


THE   ANGEL    SHOWING   HAGAR   THE   WELL.  210 

she  was  weeping,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  came  and 
showed  her  a  well  of  water.  Then  she  was  glad, 
and  drank  from  the  well,  and  gave  her  son  as  much 
water  as  he  wanted.  You  see,  my  dear  children,  it 
does  not  say  that  the  angel  made  a  well  of  water. 
He  did  not  strike  the  rock,  as  Moses  did  afterwards, 
and  make  the  water  gush  out.  He  only  showed  her 
the  well.  It  was  there  before,  and  probably  not  far 
off;  but  she  did  not  see  it.  She  needed  some  one 
to  show  her  the  well.  And  just  so  it  is  with  us. 
We  need  happiness,  but  know  not  where  to  find  it. 
God  is  a  wellspring  of  never-failing  happiness. 
And  "  he  is  not  far  from  every  one  of  us."  Still,  we 
need  some  one  to  act  the  part  of  this  good  angel, 
and  show  us  where  the  well  is.  We  need  some  one 
to  teach  us  how  to  find  our  enjoyment  and  happi- 
ness in  God.  And  this  is  what  Jesus  is  able,  and 
willing,  to  do  for  us.  This  is  one  thing  that  he 
means  when  he  says,  "Learn  of  me."  And,  if  we 
do  learn  of  him,  he  will  make  us  really  happy. 
He  said,  on  one  occasion,  "Whoso  drinketh  of  the 
water  that  I  shall  give  him,  shall  never  thirst :  but 
the  water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall  be  in  him  a 
well  of  water,  springing  up  into  everlasting  life." 
Those  whom  Jesus  teaches  to  enjoy  God  are  the  hap- 
piest persons  alive.  They  have  more  happiness  in 
this  life  than  any  other  persons;  while  nobody  can 
describe  the  happiness  prepared  for  them  in  the  life 
to  come.  Surely,  my  dear  children,  these  are  the 
most  valuable  lessons  we  can  ever  learn.  Nobody 
in  the  world  can  teach  them  to  us  but  Jesus.  Then, 
let  us  come  and  learn  of  him.    If  we  want  to  know 


220  WHAT   ST.  PAUL   SAID   ABOUT   THIS. 

God,  let  us  learn  of  Jesus.  If  we  want  to  love  God, 
let  us  learn  of  Jesus.  If  we  want  to  serve  God,  let 
us  learn  of  Jesus.  And  if  we  want  to  enjoy  God, 
let  us  learn  of  Jesus. 

Jesus  is  the  best  of  all  teachers,  and  the  know- 
ledge which  he  gives  is  the  best  of  all  knowledge. 
The  apostle  Paul  was  a  very  learned  man.  He  had 
been  taught  by  one  of  the  most  famous  teachers  in 
the  world,  at  that  day.  But  when  Paul  became  a 
Christian,  and  began  to  learn  of  Jesus,  he  thought 
the  knowledge  which  he  gives  so  excellent,  that  all 
the  other  knowledge  he  had  gained  was  good  for 
nothing  in  comparison  with  it.  And  Paul  was 
right.  And  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord  is  just  as  excellent,  and  valuable,  to  us,  as  it 
was  to  him.  Then,  let  us  all  begin  at  once  to  learn 
of  Jesus,  and  he  will  make  us  wise  unto  salvation. 
Remember,  my  dear  children,  that  this  is  the  mes- 
sage of  Jesus  to  you.  He  says  to  each  one  of  you, 
"Learn  of  me." 


THE  BND. 


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—  Watchman. 

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delightful  volumes,  in  which,  with  his  well- 
known  grace  and  delicacy,  he  recalls  the  scenes 
in  the  life  of  Christ  which  are  located  on  the 
shores  of  that  lake  of  lakes." 


Woodcutter  of  Lebanon $0.9G 

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Child's  Book  of  Divinity. . .  45 

rihe  Bow  in  the  Cloud 75 

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Sunsets  on   Hebrew  Mount.     1  50 

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scriptions of  the  death-scenes  of  many  of  the 
loved  of  God  under  the  old  dispensation,  toge- 
ther with  some  of  those  who  died  amid  the 
new  wonders  of  the  Christian  age;  these  are 
the  ''Sunsets  on  the  Hebrew  Mountains," 
whose  quiet  loveliness,  beauty  and  glury.  the 
author  paints  with  a  skillful  hand.  From 
Abraham  "the  Father  of  the  Faithful."  who 
died  and  was  buried  near  Mainre,  to  Stephen 
who  "fell  asleep"  beneath  the  shadows  of 
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The  Prophet  of  Fire 1  50 

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righteous  man,  and  his  history  is  full  of  dram- 
atic action  and  tire." 

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for  them.  The  good  shepherd  giveth  his  life 
for  the  sheep,  and  he  provides,  when  he  is 
smitten,  for  their  future  safety. — Presbyterian 


10 


CARTERS'    CATALOGUE. 


3IcLeod   (Mrs.    Georgia    A). 

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Capt.  Vicar's 1o 

"The  life  of  this  '-Christian  Soldier"  was  a 
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wherever  there  were  hearts  to  love,  or  souls  for 
whom  to  labor." — Inquirer. 

English  Hearts  and  Hands.     1   25 

"The  navvies,  as  they  are  called,  or  that 
class  of  day  laborers  in*  England  who  do 
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spicuously in  the  siege  of  Sevastopol,  are  the 
subject  of  this  book.  The  story  of  what  is 
doing  for  their  salvation,  and  of  the-  blessed 
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told  with  a  beautiful  simplicity.11 — Qhrouiele. 

Life   of  Arthur  Vandeleur,     1   25 

Thie  is  an  opportune  book.  It  depicts  the 
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may  be  in  the  service  of  his  Country,  and  at 
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ler's Analogy,  as  long  as  there  shall  be  scholars 
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Scotland  since  the  days  of  HAd."1 -Peter  Bay ne 
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*Meadc's  Bible  and  the 

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Tarsus;  and  his  subsequent  course  through 
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*PooVs   Annotations 

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as  a  safe  guide  in  religious  matters ;  the 
reader  must  make  abatement  in  these  re- 
spects; yet,  after  all,  who  cannot  relish  his 
often  fine  and  affluent  thoughts,  his  no  less 
striking  and  eloquent  language,  his  poetical 
imagery,  and  his  bright  and  picturesque  paint- 
ing, or  afford  to  make  up  a  theological  library 
without  reserving  a  niche  for  him  ?" — Presby- 
terian. 

Taylor,  (Isaac.)  Loyola  ;  or, 
Jesuitism  in  its  Rudiments. 
12mo 1  25 


14 


CABTERS'    CATALOGUE. 


Taylor,  (Tsaac).  Natural  His- 
tory of  Enthusiasm,     llimo. ..   $1  25 

Tholitck's  Circle  of  Hu- 

nian  Life *75 

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Book;    or,   Sketches   of    Ser- 
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Discourses  on  Truth.     12mo.      1  50 

TJtomson's  Seasons.  Il- 
lustrated. Morocco,  ant.,  $6 ; 
cloth,  gilt 4  00 

The    Throne   of   Grace. 

By  the  author  of  the  "  Path- 
way of  Promise."  Red  edges.      1   00 

Tullock's  Theism 1  50 

Tu  r  iih  all's    Genius     of 

Scotland 1   25 

Tung's  Israel  of  God. . .     1  50 

Christ  is  all.      12mo 1   50 

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Vara  ;  or,  The  Child  of  Adop- 
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Watson's  Body  of  Di- 

vinity 3  00 

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Theology. 

Win  and  Wear  Library. 

6  vuls.     16mo.,  in  a  neat  box,     7  50 

CONTAINING 

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Faithful  and  True,      ' 
Ned'-  Motto, 
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in  the  school  of  Christ.  It  will  be  welcome 
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12nio 


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CARTERS'    CATALOGUE. 


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BY  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

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little  world  in  itself." — LutJieran. 

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"In  the  issue  of  this'series,  the  publishers 
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lection is  very  judicious." — Reformed  Presby- 
terian. 

"That  excellent  series." — Evangelical  Re- 
pository. 


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in  praise  of  Carter's  Fireside  Library  and  of 
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"There  is  no  better  selection  for  Sabbath- 
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has  given  to  so  much  talent  and  capital  to 
provide  the  young  with  a  suitable  and  whole- 
some literature;  and  we  are  not  acquainted 
with  the  publishers  who  are  more  successful 
in  this  good  work  than  tire  Carters." — Free- 
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First   Series— 90    Cents   Each. 


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The  Needle  and  the  Rat. 
Eddie  Ellerslie,  and  the  Mine. 
Precepts  in  Practice. 
Christian's  Mirror. 
Idols  of  the  Heart. 
Pride  and  his  Prisoners. 
Shepherd  of  Bethlehem. 
The  Poacher. 
The  Chiefs  Daughter. 
Lost  Jewel. 

Stories  on  the  Parables. 
Ned  Man  ton. 
War  and  Peace. 
Robber's  Cave. 
Crown  of  Success. 
The  Rebel  Reclaimed. 
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Christian  Conquests. 
Try  Again,  &c. 
Cortley  Hall. 
Good  for  Evil. 


Christian's  Panoply. 

Exiles  in  Babylon. 

Giles  Oldham. 

A  Nutshell  of  Knowledge. 
Anna ;  or,  Home  Life. 
Aunt  Edith ;  or,  Love  to  God. 
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Baillie's  Life  of  Captain  Bate. 

"  "        St.  Augustine. 

The  Black  Ship. 
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Clara  Stanley. 
Collier's  Little  Crowns. 
Constance  and  Edith. 
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2 


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